Getty Kyrie Irving #11 and Terry Rozier #12 of the Boston Celtics celebrate in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks during Game One of Round Two of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.
Before this season, FiveThirtyEight predicted Boston (and Toronto) as the two heaviest favorites out of the Eastern Conference to make the NBA Finals. After a full regular season, Milwaukee leapt ahead as the favorite, earning the No. 1 seed after a 60-22 record.
Last Sunday, the Celtics reasserted their place as a conference title contender. They took Game 1 on the road in a 112-90 rout of the Bucks, led by 26 points from Kyrie Irving (and 20 from Al Horford). It evened the season series between the two teams, as Milwaukee won twice in 3 games during the regular season.
Let’s take a look back at those 3 matchups prior to tonight’s Game 2 (8 p.m. EST, TNT).
Celtics 117, Bucks 113 (on Nov. 1, 2018)
In the two Boston wins, the Celtics hit at least 40 percent of their 3-pointers. To end Milwaukee’s 7-0 start to the season, they hit 24-of-55 triples to edge out a 4-point victory at TD Garden.
They also featured a balanced offensive attack, as 6 different players reached double-digits. Irving led the way with 28 points, while Gordon Hayward notched 18 of his own. The latter returned after a year-long absence from a gruesome ankle injury.
“I think I got off to a good start and that was important for me,” Hayward said to ESPN. “It felt good being able to be out there at the end of the game, too It’s an ongoing process.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double, and led Milwaukee to a startling 62-22 scoring advantage inside the paint. Another similarity to the loss last weekend? Khris Middleton put up an inefficient 16 points on 18 shots.
He also put up 16 in Game 1, but was limited to just 12 shots. For a second-option scorer, that production needs to be higher.
Bucks 120, Celtics 107 (on Dec. 21, 2018)
Milwaukee jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead in a return trip to TD Garden en route to a comfortable win. The Celtics shot just 29 percent on triples, as opposed to Milwaukee canning 40 percent.
In addition, Irving connected on 7-of-20 field goals for just 15 points. Meanwhile, the Bucks stars shined. Giannis Antetokoumpo hit 13-of-17 free throws to reach 30 points, while Middleton tallied 21.
Milwaukee had to overcome 21 turnovers to just 5 by Boston, doing so with an 18-rebound advantage. Eric Bledsoe talked with the AP about how the defense disrupted shooters on the perimeter.
“They missed a lot of shots,” Bledsoe said. “I’m pretty sure they got a pretty good amount up — they just missed a lot of them. We did a great job of scrambling tonight.”
Bucks 99, Celtics 98 (on Feb. 21, 2019)
The only matchup in Milwaukee came down to which teams’ star showed up better. Antetokoumpo nailed 11-of-19 shots for 30 points, adding 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Irving needed 27 shots to get to 22 points.
This reflects in the team shooting percentages, as the Bucks shot 42 percent while the Celtics shot just 38 percent. The bench production for the Bucks was also better, as the reserves outscored the visitors 23-21. 15 of those 21 from Boston came courtesy of Jaylen Brown.
Hayward was also not available in the 1-point loss, which could’ve been all the difference needed. Now he’s coming off the bench and provided a scoring spark for Brad Stevens and company.