The Boston Celtics were coming off perhaps their best victory of the season on Wednesday night when they came back against the Minnesota Timberwolves and protected homecourt, taking a 127-120 victory in a battle of one-seeds. This win was a huge cause of celebration for the Celtics, as it allowed them to set a franchise record for most home wins to start the season.

Alas, the NBA schedule is unforgiving. On the second night of a back-to-back, Jayson Tatum and company had to renew their rivalry of sorts against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

With fewer than 24 hours of rest at their disposal, the Celtics were at a huge disadvantage against a Bucks team that last played on Monday night. And it showed in the way the Celtics conducted themselves on the court.

They were extremely lethargic, especially on the defensive end, and their exhausted legs prevented them from getting into any sort of an offensive rhythm. They ended up falling behind by 37 huge points, 75-38, at the half — making this unequivocally their worst performance of the season.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla then came out of the half with his starters glued to the bench. In fact, Mazzulla didn't even bother to put Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Celtics' core players back in. When asked why he did it, he simply reasoned that it was “what was best for the team,” as per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media.

These are simply defeats that one can chalk up to the NBA schedule being as unforgiving as it can be. It will be a wonder for Celtics fans how it's possible for them to face two of the best teams in the league in the Timberwolves and Bucks on successive days.

Plus, the Celtics came in and faced a motivated Bucks team that was coming off one of its worst losses of the season in a blowout defeat against the Utah Jazz. The circumstances surrounding the game simply made this game a loss that was waiting to happen. And with the regular season being a marathon, not a sprint, Joe Mazzulla is in the right not to force the issue on a night where his team simply didn't have it.