The Celtics made a statement win on Wednesday night in Boston. Taking down the Milwaukee Bucks, the same team that knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs last season. The main goal while playing the Bucks is to try and slow down the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Celtics did a good job of rotating defenders on Giannis and double teaming him when necessary, holding him to just 22 points in the game. The Celtics won 116-105, while Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter were both out.
The Celtics went down by 19 at one point. During the third quarter, the Celtics were down by 9 with about 3 minutes left. They went a scoring run capped off by a Jayson Tatum three pointer right before the buzzer. Then in the fourth quarter, Kemba Walker stepped up for the team. He showed he can be the leader for this young team. He scored a game high 32 points, scoring 21 of them in the second half.
The Bucks look like a team that have to find their groove from last season. They lost some players like Malcom Brogdon and added some other bench players. They may take some time to get used to playing with one another.
The Celtics opened a door to a new problem last night: bench scoring. The Celtics did have two starters out, but the Celtics bench only scored 8 points all game. That can become an issue deeper into the season. The Celtics cannot solely rely on their starters to carry the load for long stretches this year.
Coach Brad Stevens did not use too much of his bench last night. Not one player that came in off the bench hit more than one shot.
The Celtics move to 3-1 on the young season. They play next against the New York Knicks in Boston on Friday. Having already beat the Knicks this season, the Celtics look to move to 2-0 against the Knicks this year. The Celtics won handily the last time the two teams played. The result should be similar on Friday night.
