NBA Playoffs 2018: Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks Game 2 - Match Preview
Preview
The Boston Celtics withstood the Milwaukee Bucks’ best shot as they just about escaped with a Game 1 win, 113-107 in overtime.
It was a balanced offensive effort for the C’s as five players had 19 or more points. Al Horford led the way with a remarkable all-around performance of 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Terry Rozier came up big in the clutch with 23 points, while young wings Jayson Tatum (19 points, ten rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (20 points, four rebounds) also excelled.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee got another huge performance from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak went for 35 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
Khris Middleton was also spectacular with 31 points, eight boards, six assists, and five three-pointers, including the big buzzer-beater to send the game to overtime.
Eric Bledsoe struggled with just nine points and had five turnovers, but Malcolm Brogdon had 16 big points off the bench.
Three keys to the game
Eric Bledsoe bounce-back game – The Bucks should take it as a good sign they nearly stole Game 1 on the road despite only two-thirds of their “Big three” playing well.
Bledsoe had a rare off-night as he was just unable to get much of anything going offensively. He should be a good candidate to bounce right back, though, and the Bucks will be that much more dangerous with their star point guard playing the way he’s usually capable of.
Celtics offence – On the flip-side, the Celtics played pretty close to full capacity in Game 1. While they didn’t shoot particularly well, their young players, Rozier and Tatum in particular, played better than expected in their first playoff starts.
Horford also had one of his best offensive nights of the year despite doing so much defensively.
The question now is whether they can come up with a similarly strong effort offensively for the second game in a row. If not, they could be in some trouble keeping the Bucks at bay.
Jabari Parker – After putting up close to 20 points and eight rebounds per game in April, Parker was surprisingly a non-factor in Game 1.
He finished with just two points in 15 minutes off the Bucks bench as head coach Joe Prunty opted to go big with John Henson for most the game.
Aside from Bledsoe, the Bucks can reach yet another gear if Parker can give them improved production. However, he must prove he can play reliable minutes against a well-drilled Celtics team that can expose his defensive deficiencies.
Matchup to watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Al Horford – Horford did a masterful job of pacing the Celtics offense while playing stellar defence on Antetokounmpo.
While the Greek Freak can obviously put up 35-point, 13-rebound outings all series long, Horford’s ability to keep pace on both ends of the court is a bit more dubious.
But if he can somehow recreate his amazing production, the Celtics chances of going up 2-0 go up significantly.
Bucks Probable Starters
PG – Eric Bledsoe
SG – Tony Snell
SF – Khris Middleton
PF – Giannis Antetokounmpo
C – John Henson
Celtics Probable Starters
PG – Terry Rozier
SG – Jaylen Brown
SF – Jayson Tatum
PF – Al Horford
C – Aron Baynes
Match Details
Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden
Date and time: ET - 17 April 2018 8:00 PM; IST - 18 April 2018, 5:30 AM