Depleted group ultimately defeated
But C's show plenty of heart in overtime loss
After colliding on one end of the court, Grant Williams and Mike Muscala tumbled to the floor and could only watch the action go the other way. Moments later, Derrick White bent down with his hands on his knees.
The Celtics ran out of gas in Milwaukee.
On paper, the Celtics didn’t stand much of a chance on Tuesday night. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart were all out, and Al Horford joined them shortly before tip. As depleted as they’ve been all season against the second-place Bucks, the C’s were 10-point underdogs.
But these Celtics refuse to lay down no matter the circumstances or how undermanned they are. They showed incredible fight as they forced overtime and nearly pulled off an upset, but they ultimately didn’t have enough in a 131-125 loss.
The Celtics led by as many as 14 in the second half before the Bucks surged and took the lead late but stayed poised. Sam Hauser sank a 30-foot 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation that forced the extra session, where the Celtics took an early fivepoint lead. But Jrue Holiday’s 40 points — including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining — pushed the Bucks to victory as the Celtics lost steam in an inspiring effort.
“We were detailed, focused, effort, did all the right things to win,” Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters in Milwaukee. “They made a couple more than we did down the stretch. But that’s two great teams playing against each other regardless of who’s in and who’s out. We played hard, and credit to our guys.”
The Celtics are now a half-game in front of the Bucks atop the Eastern Conference and are even in the season series with one game left in Milwaukee next month.
White led the Celtics with 27 points and 12 assists while Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points off the bench. But even without four starters, their fifth regular in the starting lineup, Robert Williams — who was originally listed as questionable with left ankle soreness — was confusingly the fourth big man used and only played 13 minutes. But Mazzulla didn’t offer an explanation.
Still, with a starting lineup that included Hauser, Muscala and Blake Griffin, the Celtics looked poised for an unlikely victory from the opening tip. They led for the majority of the first half and seemed to even have a little swagger to them. After cutting for a dunk in the third quarter, Muscala chirped at the Bucks bench and stared them down. He was assessed a technical foul but it didn’t seem to matter as they went ahead by 14 after a pair of free throws from Brogdon with 2:55 left.
But the Bucks — fueled by Holiday — had plenty of answers. After Payton Pritchard converted a three-point play, Holiday’s 41-foot heave at the buzzer went through to cut the Bucks’ deficit to four entering the fourth. Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetekounmpo then led a 9-0 spurt to give Milwaukee
the lead.
But the Celtics didn’t quit as they kept fighting back throughout the fourth. They trailed by four with less than three minutes left when White drew an offensive foul on Antetekounmpo, then hit a pair of free throws. It looked dire for the Celtics with seven seconds left after Holiday’s two free throws put the Bucks up three, but Mazzulla drew up a play for Hauser, who pulled up and drained a game-tying 30foot 3-pointer.
“Just tried to get to a spot where I felt comfortable and got it up in time,” Hauser told reporters.
The Celtics rode that momentum into overtime as White scored five points to open the period. But it didn’t last for the depleted, tired C’s. Holiday converted a steal into a transition dunk to make it a one-point game, and after Muscala missed a 3, Grayson Allen was fouled for two free throws as the Bucks retook the lead.
Brogdon was given a late whistle on the ensuing possession and knocked down both free throws to make it 125-124 before Holiday hit a 3 on the Bucks’ next trip. The Celtics then had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Grant Williams lost the ball in front of the Bucks bench on a broken play and Antetekounmpo was granted a clear-path foul the other way that essentially sealed the loss.
Mazzulla said he should have called a timeout, but Grant Williams took accountability, saying he should have shot the ball earlier in the play.
“That last play, me not shooting the ball, that’s not on Joe,” Williams said.
Still, it was a valiant effort for a Celtics team missing its most important pieces. Five players — including Hauser and Muscala — played at least 39 minutes, which may come back to haunt them in Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. But despite a tough loss against their top East rival, it was another example of how scary their depth is.
“I think it’s good for Joe knowing he has a lot of guys that have shown that they can play in big games and crucial situations,” Hauser told reporters. “If he gets in a pinch, he can throw guys in there, and I guess it just goes to show how deep our team is, and for a coach that’s a good problem to have.”