We had a match without much at stake but a match between contenders from the East nonetheless. The Celts with a historic lead over the rest of the East, the Bucks who want to secure second place. You take the two, you mix, it gives you: a not close match. And an injured Giannis.
Here are the stats of the Eastern shock
So for the record, the Celtics led once during the game, it was in the first quarter and it was by a single point. Brook Lopez took it personally in that moment and sent long distance after long distance while making big blocks on the other side of the court. Deprived of Horford and Porzingis this evening, it was complicated to have good meat in the racket for the Cs and that didn’t help them. End of first quarter, 37-21 Bucks, Massachusetts did not recover. Boston’s defense had one of its worst performances of the season tonight. In a match where everyone was average, Giannis stood out again at the conclusion of lobs following great collective actions, and with big hustles during the period of time he was able to play.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 10, 2024
Bucks precise shooting (47.2% from distance and 53.1% overall) who were not really worried this evening, except when Giannis was injured at the end of the third quarter and had to get help to return to the locker room. He still finished the evening with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Guess who took the opportunity to break out of their box? Good old Pat Beverley and his wrist injury, of course! Top scorer for the Bucks this evening, he finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists, 8/13 on shots, 4/8 from the parking lot. And by telling Luke Kornet that he’s too short when he’s going to score on the green racket, that wouldn’t be real Pat Bev otherwise.
Patrick Beverley tonight:
20 Points
10 Rebounds
3 Assists
61% FG
4/8 3PM pic.twitter.com/fNOcjvRhW0
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 10, 2024
On the Celtics side, there was nothing at stake, and it showed. Permissive in defense, dominated in rebounding and not very aggressive, the Celtics did not score a single free throw this evening! 22 points and 6 assists for Tatum, 14 points, 3 assists and 10 rebounds with 4 interceptions for Jaylen Brown. Meh. Not sure that Joe Mazzulla expected more from his men this evening, he could have totally rested his entire squad as the Playoffs approached. The difference between first and second in the East in terms of record is the greatest since the 1971 season.
For the Bucks, it is a reassuring victory, without their leader during the somewhat tense end of the match where the Celts tried to come back as best they could, calmed by the good choices of Damian Lillard. The Celtics were not at full strength, but we ended a series of four defeats which did well as the second team in the East. The Wisconsin team is giving itself some breathing room compared to the Magic and the Knicks who are lurking behind.
A look at the standings after the night’s matches
2024-04-10 02:38:00
#Bucks #beat #Celtics
