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1. Hugo Gonzalez Career Night
After Neemias Queta had a career night against the 76ers the night before, Hugo Gonzalez decided it was his turn to have the best game of his young career on the second night of a back-to-back in a commanding 108-81 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In his third career start, Gonzalez finished with career highs of 18 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 steals while tying his career high with 2 blocks on 7-15 shooting from the field and 3-8 from three. He is the first Celtics rookie to have a stat line like this since Larry Bird on November 14th, 1979 against the Detroit Pistons.
After making the first basket of the game for the Celtics, there was a chance Gonzalez could have a good offensive night but I don’t think anyone expected him to put up this type of performance. He drove to the basket with force, made some great hustle plays on put-backs, and was able to shoot the three ball comfortably.
Hugo made the Bucks work on every possession, flying around the court on defense for his rebounds, blocks and steals. He did an incredible job when it came to locking down his offensive matchup and did solid when it came to guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo on a few possessions. His hustle and ability to be in the right place at the right time was absolutely huge for the Celtics and without Gonzalez, there is a chance Boston loses this game.
2. Great Defensive Stand
In a game where Jaylen Brown (illness) and Neemias Queta (rest) were ruled OUT, Boston was still able to hold the Bucks to only 81 points, their second lowest scoring output of the season only behind the 79 point performance that the Celtics held them to on February 1st in TD Garden.
Boston held Milwaukee to 27-74 (37%) shooting from the field and 13-36 (36%) from three point range. They forced 16 turnovers on the Bucks while also getting 7 steals and 6 blocks. Without two key defensive stoppers in the front court, the Celtics were able to once again dominate the Bucks.
3. Dominance in the Paint
Boston absolutely owned the paint against Milwaukee in this matchup. In the rebounding department, the Celtics crushed the Bucks on the boards 54-32. Out of the 54 rebounds, 19 of them resulted in offensive rebounds and usually ended in a basket on the second-chance opportunity.
When it came to the points in the paint battle I assumed that Milwaukee would have the edge given they got Giannis back but that wasn’t the case. The Celtics outscored them 34-22 when it came to points in the paint. This was a result of Boston’s elite rebounding and Milwaukee’s overall lack of interest when it came to wanting to play defense.
4. Payton Pritchard Bounce Back
Coming off a game against the 76ers where Payton Pritchard scored 0 Points, he was able to bounce back in a big way against the Bucks, finishing with 25 points and 9 assists on 10-23 shooting from the field and 5-10 from three. This was a much needed game for Pritchard who had scored in the single-digits in 3 of his last 4 games.
He started the game out kind of slow, but once he hit a midrange almost buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter, Pritchard turned it on in the fourth quarter. Payton scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and turned into the Celtics closer, icing the game.
5. Derrick White Steadied the Ship
Derrick White didn’t have the best shooting night in this game, going 5-18 from the field and 4-12 from three, but watching the game it felt like he was the stabilizer for the Celtics offense. He finished with 18 points and 9 assists, continuing his great stretch of facilitating. Dating back to February 3rd, White is averaging 7.1 assists since Pritchard starting coming off the bench.
Against the Bucks this season, the on/off numbers show that the Celtics are a +65 when White is on the court in 95 minutes versus a -25 when he has been off the court in 49 minutes. He has been the perfect connector for this team and with a lot of young guys playing for the Celtics, he is the veteran that can keep them afloat.
6. Sam Hauser Homecoming
Growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sam Hauser grew up a Milwaukee Bucks fan as a kid and has had some special performances against them in the past. The game on December 11th of this season was not one of those good games, finishing with 0 points on 0-10 shooting in a 116-101 Celtics loss.
This game was a different story for Sam, finishing with 14 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 4-8 from three. He torched the Bucks from beyond the arc and his shoot looked smooth all night long. This was some fitting redemption for Hauser, being able to take the win against his hometown team.
7. Luka Garza Steps Up
Ever since the Celtics traded for Nikola Vucevic, Luka Garza has found himself slowly falling out of the rotation. Before this game against the Bucks, the last time Garza got real meaningful minutes in a game was on February 8th against the New York Knicks when he played 15 minutes.
However, with Queta out and Vucevic in the starting lineup, Garza was able to be the backup center in this game and he stayed ready. He finished with 7 points and 10 rebounds on 3-6 shooting in 20 minutes of play. He was a big reason as to why the Celtics were able to dominate Milwaukee on the glass and in the paint, using his physicality to get underneath the basket with ease. My favorite play of the night was his turnaround hook shot after bodying Myles Turner.
8. Nikola Vucevic First Celtics Start
For the first time in his Celtics career, Nikola Vucevic was named as a starter with Brown and Queta out. This is a role he was familiar with over the course of his NBA career, and he played a pretty solid game, finishing with 10 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds on 5-12 shooting. He was the primary defender on Giannis for most of the night and did a great job of controlling Antetokounmpo in the paint, even getting a block on him.
His passing was the biggest story for me in this game. Vucevic did a great job with handoffs when he set a screen and also made a few nice cross-court passes. I have been incredibly surprised with his passing ability since he’s come to Boston and he continues to show it off in games like tonight.
9. C’s Spoil Giannis Return
After weeks of trade rumors, flip-flopping emotions, and prediction market partnerships, Giannis Antetokounmpo suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time since January 23rd. In a game where Boston was missing two key players, you would think Giannis would be able to wild against the Celtics but that wasn’t necessarily the case.
He finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds on 7-18 shooting from the field and 0-2 shooting from three while missing his final 7 shots in a row. He was able to get his typical baskets from time to time by ramming his way to the basket but the Celtics did an incredible job building the wall and making every shot a difficult look. Out of any team in the NBA, I would say the Celtics have historically done the best job when defending Giannis and even with different and depleted personnel, they still found a way to get the job done.
10. Coaching Masterclass
What more can you say about the brilliance of Joe Mazzulla. This game was a perfect representation of why he needs to win Coach of the Year. He ran a starting lineup of White-Gonzalez-Scheierman-Hauser-Vucevic, a lineup that had never seen the floor together and dominated Milwaukee on the road. This was the 7th time the Celtics have won a game on the road by 20+ points and the 13th time this season.
This game is a testament to Joe Mazzulla and the entire coaching staff spending tons of hours in Celtics University drilling the players heads with information, it is a testament to Brad Stevens and the front office for identifying these players for the system, and it is a testament to the Celtics players as a whole for always being ready to play their roles when called upon. This game was another great team win a season full of incredible team wins.