It was a hard night for the Boston Celtics going up against the Milwaukee Bucks. Altogether, the Bucks were decent from the field, shooting 58.2%, which led to a 116-101 victory.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were stopped in their tracks, shooting 38.6% from the field. Afterward, Bucks' head coach Doc Rivers explained how that happened, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“There were a few make-miss, but most of the time they were contested threes and that's what we planned for,” Rivers said. “They take more break threes than any other team; they don't actually take a lot of corner threes, which is unusual. And a lot of that is because they ISO, and you help, and they spray it out, and we drilled it for two days, like be in, but as that ball (goes out), you have to arrive on the pass. That's all we talked about. You have to arrive on the pass and run them off the shot, and I thought our guys did that.”
In the end, Kyle Kuzma led the way with 31 points and six rebounds. Then, Bobby Portis came away with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. had a triple-double of 18 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points of his own, while Ryan Rollins had 10 points and seven assists.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play due to a calf strain.
With the win, the Bucks are now 11-15. On Sunday, they hit the road to take on the Brooklyn Nets.
Even with the win, the Bucks still need to work on their defense
Though they stopped the veteran-laden Celtics in their tracks, the Bucks still have some kinks to work out on defense. Currently, they are ranked 20th in the league with a defensive rating of 117.9.
The absence of Giannis certainly hampers their ability, given his size and strength. Plus, Milwaukee is ranked 18th in defensive rebounding.
Rivers is looking to implement a more physical approach to defense.
