Celtics get wake-up call in Game 1 loss to Bucks
It’s one thing to run through the dysfunctional Brooklyn Nets in a first-round sweep. It’s quite another to play the defending champions in the second round.
The Milwaukee Bucks gave the Boston Celtics a lesson and a wake-up call in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Milwaukee stopped Boston 101-89, stealing home-court advantage in an impressive performance that gave notice.
Even without injured All-Star Khris Middleton, the Bucks remain a talented team capable of winning this series. There’s more to the Bucks than Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday.
And another level is required to win. Some of the Celtics have been in this situation but not always with the expectation as the favorites to the win the series.
ABC’s Doris Burke summed it up best late in the fourth quarter:
The Bucks were tougher physically and better defensively, both points that Celtics coach Ime Udoka conceded after the game.
“Their physicality more so than anything caught us off guard,” Udoka said.
Milwaukee forced Boston to play into its defensive strengths, resulting in too many three-point attempts (50) and turnovers (18 leading to 27 Bucks points), not enough points in the paint (20) and a low shooting percentage (33.3%) for the Celtics..
“We’re trying to get the best shot,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “You can say we should attack the basket more, and we probably should. But we got a lot of drive-and-kick threes. You can get caught up in the numbers, but we got a lot of good shots.”
The Bucks increased their defensive pressure, often picking up the dribbler at half-court, and team defense held Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart to 43 points and 30.9% shooting.
It’s a conundrum. The Bucks allow the most threes per game in the league, they want the opponent to take threes and are dedicated to protecting the paint. What may seem like the right play for the offense is also what the defense wants. So the Celtics need to find better ways of mixing their threes with touches in the paint.
Udoka’s mind had turned to Game 2 on Tuesday without forgetting what happened in the series opener.
“We can spread them out, space them and get downhill and the attack,” he said. “[Brook] Lopez and [Bobby] Portis at times were up high enough where we could’ve penetrated on those guys. Settled for some tough three-point shots.
“We’ve got to get downhill and get to the basket. We’ve got to figure that out.”
For a first-time head coach in the conference semifinals, there was nothing but calm from Udoka. He was instrumental in turning around Boston’s 18-21 start, and he and his staff will work to fix this.
The silver lining for Boston: This happened in Game 1, early in the series, with plenty of time left to figure it out.
(USA Today/TNS)
Warriors outlast Morant,
Grizzlies in series opener Jordan Poole scored 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting, Stephen Curry finished with 24 points and the visiting Golden State Warriors held on for a 117-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series.
Poole and Curry drained five three-pointers apiece as the Warriors recovered from a double-digit deficit in the first half as well as the surprise ejection of veteran forward Draymond Green. Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points, and Klay Thompson scored 15 despite making only six of 19 shots from the field.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 34 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed 33 points and 10 rebounds, while De’Anthony Melton scored 14 off the bench.
The teams will meet next for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Neither team led by more than four points during the final five minutes, which featured four ties and two lead changes.
Golden State’s Gary Payton II made a layup to even the score at 114-114 with 1:35 remaining. Memphis quickly bounced back with an alley-oop dunk by Brandon Clarke that made it 116-114 in favor of the Grizzlies with 1:16 to go.
Thompson put Golden State on top for good on a three-pointer with 36.6 seconds remaining.
Neither team scored the rest of the way. Thompson missed a pair of free throws that could have cushioned the Warriors’ lead, and Morant missed a driving scoop layup in the waning moments that could have won the game.
Green was ejected with 1:18 remaining in the first half for a flagrant-2 foul against Clarke. Replays showed that Green made contact with Clarke’s head while swiping down with his arm, and he grabbed Clarke’s collar during the process.
After the flagrant-2 ruling, Green ran around the court and waved his hands at the opposing crowd as boos rained down upon him. He finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes.
(Reuters)