Celtics

Giannis Antetokounmpo had to fight for every point, the offense sputtered and Jayson Tatum and the Boston offense torched the Bucks.

26, and the Bucks have more than half of their season to play before they could get matched up with the Celtics again in the playoffs, but the Celtics don’t appear to be going anywhere. They will likely be right there next to the Bucks atop the Eastern Conference at the end of the season, so the Bucks will have to figure out how to beat them if they want to get to another NBA Finals. [Khris Middleton](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/khris-middleton-16EsAhBpQ9MB2dEC/) was out again on Sunday (his fifth straight missed game with right knee soreness), just like he was out during the playoff series, and he can help on both sides of the ball. As they did during their playoff matchup, the Bucks were willing to switch Holiday off Tatum and let other players take the assignment to keep Tatum in front of them. Allen picked up Tatum above the 3-point line and then got into a defensive stance to keep Tatum from getting to the rim. He drew some fouls and ended up shooting 10 free throws, but they made him earn every one of those trips to the charity stripe with their physical play. While that led to mistakes and miscommunication during the start of the playoffs series, the Bucks did not make major errors executing the defensive game plan on Sunday. Williams cleared out of the play to make way for Tatum to set a screen on Connaughton. [Celtics](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/celtics/) forward [Jayson Tatum](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jayson-tatum-3O7MInr4zV5KKhZ5/) jumped off his left foot on a one-foot fadeaway and lofted a jump shot high into the air. The NBA’s schedule makers kept the Bucks and Celtics apart for the first two months of the regular season and waited until Christmas to give fans the first matchup between the two teams since their Game 7 showdown in Boston on May 15. [Jaylen Brown](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jaylen-brown-EAiBkBxmqCrObLg7/) brought the ball up the floor with [Grayson Allen](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/grayson-allen-E9IF6RRaReZhPxGS/) defending him and Bucks point guard [Jrue Holiday](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jrue-holiday-F5hrjac6YFBzx2nI/) plastered to Tatum. Eventually, the Celtics turned that 16-point lead into a 139-118 blowout win and a statement made on Christmas, the

As he sat on the podium following the Celtics' Christmas Day win over the Bucks, interim coach Joe Mazzulla looked down at the box score on the sheet in ...

“He got diagnosed four days before he went to college and he’s been in recovery now for like a year or so,” Williams said. WHEN WILLIAMS HIT a 3 to put the Celtics up 19 in the fourth, he did a shoulder shimmy celebration reminiscent of Antoine Walker. He competes every moment of the game, he plays as hard as he can, and plays like it’s his last game no matter whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs, so you’ve got to respect that about someone. “One of the best in the league, so for us, it’s just a matter of doing what we can to contain it, and being physical and make sure none of the shots he takes are easy. When he stood up, he elbowed Brown in the back. Late in the fourth quarter, when the game was well out of reach, he and Jaylen Brown had a brief altercation. But it’s a matchup that Williams relishes despite the physical toll it puts on him. For myself, just do whatever to stay in front of him, match the physicality that he brings and force him into tough shots. He’s not going to stop, he’s relentless, and so are we.” Mazzulla said it was specifically to combat Antetokounmpo. He made a lot of tough fade-aways against me today, and those are ones that you’ve got to live with. Antetokounmpo shot 9 for 22 from the floor as the Celtics consistently forced him to take contested jump shots.

It began with Boston morphing into a juggernaut down the stretch of the 2021-22 season, peaked with the team reaching its first NBA Finals in 12 years and is ...

29:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/stromile-swift-gives-celtics-luke-kornet-celebration-his-seal-approval?b) "I thought the celebration was good but the interview was even better. 23:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/brad-stevens-ime-udoka-replacement-joe-mazzulla-i-believe-strongly-him?b) "It's not an easy timing for him or the rest of the staff, but he's an exceptionally sharp and talented person. [Kendrick Perkins after the Celtics won Game 3 to go up 3-0](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kendrick-perkins-kevin-durant-quit-celtics-have-snatched-nets-soul?b). 22, the Celtics [suspended Udoka for a full year](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/ime-udoka-issues-apology-celtics-officially-announce-suspension?b) due to violations of team policies. [had torn his ACL](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-danilo-gallinari-diagnosed-torn-acl?b) playing for his native Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifying game. [Curry's 43 points in Warriors' Game 4 win](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/stephen-curry-makes-nba-history-incredible-game-4-performance-vs-celtics?b). 6:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kendrick-perkins-celtics-are-broken-right-now?b) "The Celtics are broken right now." 23](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/video/forsberg-udoka-suspension-has-taken-emotional-toll-celtics-organization?b): "You could tell there has been an emotional toll that's been taken ... Honorable mentions go to [Al Horford's](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/al-horford?b) [30-point outburst in Game 4](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/why-al-horford-game-could-go-down-celtics-playoff-history?b) (and the nod that started it all) and Grant Williams' [clutch 27 points in Game 7](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-vs-bucks-takeaways-grant-williams-historic-game-7-sends-cs-east-finals?b). 2 seed, April 27:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/ime-udoka-speaks-celtics-confidence-after-sweep-nets?b) "We’re a basketball team, not a track team. 10:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/what-can-derrick-white-bring-celtics-chris-forsberg-explains?b) "Outside of the (James) Harden and (Ben) Simmons swap, I felt like Derrick White was one of the best players that was out there. 5:](https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-mailbag-talking-trades-placing-blame-and-plotting-whats-next?b) "Chris, why aren’t we talking about trading Tatum?

Jayson Tatum scored 20 of his 41 points in the third quarter to help the Celtics beat the Bucks 139-118 in a matchup of the top two teams in the NBA.

… Derrick White hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter. ... Connaughton, a native of nearby Arlington, Massachusetts, made his first start of the season and scored 15. He also missed the first 20 games of the season. The teams met in the second round of last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs, and the Celtics won in seven games en route to the NBA Finals. … The Celtics made five of their first six 3-point attempts. Their lead was down to one point, 62-61, before Bobby Portis fouled Brown on a desperation 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. The NBA season is a long season, and we will be a much better basketball team by the end of this year than we are right now,” he said. Tatum scored 20 in the third quarter, when the Celtics turned a one-point lead into a 100-86 edge. After some jawing back and forth, Antetokounmpo was given a technical foul and went to the bench. Last Christmas in Milwaukee, the Bucks beat Boston 117-113. The Celtics have also struggled lately, losing five of six before winning back-to-back games. Asked about his team's ability to limit the damage done by Antetokounmpo, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, “Limiting's crazy.

What happened between Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo during their scuffle at the end of Celtics-Bucks? Here's what Brown said after Boston's huge ...

It was a lot of chirping and talking in between.” When Antetokounmpo got up, he appeared to swing an elbow at Brown, who took exception and got in the Bucks star's face. The Celtics guard fought hard through an Antetokounmpo late in the fourth quarter and the Bucks forward went down to the floor.

Donnie and Kevin discuss if this could be a possible eastern conference finals preview.

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Grant Williams sent a special message to a friend with a unique celebration during the Celtics' Christmas day win.

Williams is up to 43.6 percent shooting from 3-point range on the year after the strong outing, which has him closing in on the top spot on the team behind Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon. Williams led the way off the bench for Boston with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a pair of steals while posting a team-best plus-20 over his 26 minutes. When I hit the third, I tried my best impersonation.

Marcus Smart pulled off a surprise proposal to his girlfriend with help from Will Smith after the Celtics' win on Christmas.

“He gets our guys open, he gets us organized and where the matchup is and what action we’re going to use to create the advantage. “He only took four shots and I thought he was one of the more impactful players on the floor because of his poise and his ability to see the floor,” Mazzulla said. It’s easy to see why after a memorable Instagram post from the point guard this weekend.

This week, Zach Harper analyzes the clutch numbers for all 30 teams.

0.0 rebounds per 36 3.4 rebounds per 36 0.0 assists per 36 1.3 assists per 36 3.4 assists per 36 0.0 turnovers per 36 1.3 turnovers per 36 1.1 assists per 36 2.7 assists per 36 2.3 turnovers per 36 2.3 assists per 36 3.4 turnovers per 36

The Bucks once looked like the top competitor in the east for the Celtics, but an horrendous offensive showing in December pulled them down the list.

The Celtics, who scored 122.9 points per 100 plays in the half court against the Bucks’ defense, sit at the top of the league with Dallas. Playing against the Bucks, obviously you’ve got some history there, but I’ve got so much respect for them, the things they’ve accomplished in recent years and they bring out the best in us. The game also exposed the difficulties a fading Bucks team faces while all the pressure rests on Giannis and Holiday for offensive creation. Giannis threw an arm bar at Brown after jumping to his feet, earning a technical, while Smart and Thanasis Antetokounmpo jawed along the sideline. The Bucks couldn’t generate their full court game again, a trend this year, against an ascending Celtics defense that also hit nearly 60% of its shots on the offensive end. Boston turned his misses into transition, and Tatum hit a three after a 1-for-3 start, hung his head in relief and powered to 30 points by hitting all five shots he took at the rim, attempting 11 in the paint and only seven from three in a balanced effort. The Bucks’ could not, and Holiday again played a prominent role guarding much taller players in Tatum and Brown. Carter and other Bucks crashing the glass fell behind the play. Tatum and Smart finished another give-and-go play, but Jrue Holiday scored seven points late in the second quarter to pull the Bucks within one point at halftime. Griffin, however, missed a back door layup on a pass from Horford that freed Antetokounmpo to score the other way after a six-point first quarter. [sat for his fifth game with a knee injury that’s not progressing how the Bucks hope](https://twitter.com/Krisplashed/status/1607114239667326976?s=20&t=uGFIharkAwf62YKR2uLxcQ)d. Antetokounmpo’s struggles, starting 5-for-15 and scoring eight of his 27 points in the fourth quarter trailing by double-digits, held back the Bucks’ runs to stay within single-digits until late.

Marcus Smart is now engaged after getting an Oscar-winning actor to help him pop the question.

As he sat on the podium following the Celtics' Christmas Day win over the Bucks, interim coach Joe Mazzulla looked down at the box score on the sheet in ...

“He got diagnosed four days before he went to college and he’s been in recovery now for like a year or so,” Williams said. WHEN WILLIAMS HIT a 3 to put the Celtics up 19 in the fourth, he did a shoulder shimmy celebration reminiscent of Antoine Walker. He competes every moment of the game, he plays as hard as he can, and plays like it’s his last game no matter whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs, so you’ve got to respect that about someone. “One of the best in the league, so for us, it’s just a matter of doing what we can to contain it, and being physical and make sure none of the shots he takes are easy. When he stood up, he elbowed Brown in the back. Late in the fourth quarter, when the game was well out of reach, he and Jaylen Brown had a brief altercation. But it’s a matchup that Williams relishes despite the physical toll it puts on him. For myself, just do whatever to stay in front of him, match the physicality that he brings and force him into tough shots. He’s not going to stop, he’s relentless, and so are we.” Mazzulla said it was specifically to combat Antetokounmpo. He made a lot of tough fade-aways against me today, and those are ones that you’ve got to live with. Antetokounmpo shot 9 for 22 from the floor as the Celtics consistently forced him to take contested jump shots.

As he sat on the podium following the Celtics' Christmas Day win over the Bucks, interim coach Joe Mazzulla looked down at the box score on the sheet in ...

If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page. “He got diagnosed four days before he went to college and he’s been in recovery now for like a year or so,” Williams said. WHEN WILLIAMS HIT a 3 to put the Celtics up 19 in the fourth, he did a shoulder shimmy celebration reminiscent of Antoine Walker. Please wait for the page to reload. He competes every moment of the game, he plays as hard as he can, and plays like it’s his last game no matter whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs, so you’ve got to respect that about someone. When he stood up, he elbowed Brown in the back. But it’s a matchup that Williams relishes despite the physical toll it puts on him. Mazzulla said it was specifically to combat Antetokounmpo. He’s not going to stop, he’s relentless, and so are we.” “One of the best in the league, so for us, it’s just a matter of doing what we can to contain it, and being physical and make sure none of the shots he takes are easy. For myself, just do whatever to stay in front of him, match the physicality that he brings and force him into tough shots. Antetokounmpo shot 9 for 22 from the floor as the Celtics consistently forced him to take contested jump shots.