Staring Down Big Al After Dunking on Him, Not Good for Your Team's Basketball Health

The Celtics rally to even up the series, sparked in part by the Greek Freak's stare-down of Horford that "didn't sit well" with Horford, the Celtics or the refs who hit Giannis with a tech for it.

MILWAUKEE- Adversity is nothing new to the Boston Celtics.

Injuries and illnesses defined their start to the season, and it was once crashing the playoff party in Game 4 with the news that Robert Williams (knee) wasn’t going to play.

Once the game started, Milwaukee soon pulled ahead by double digits in the first quarter. Soon after, Boston fouls were mounting and this game had the look and feel of so many of those early season games the Celtics would let slip away with little to no resistance.

But then the fourth quarter rolled around, and the old wise one of the roster, Al Horford, played with the kind of bounce and vigor reminiscent of his days as a star for the Florida Gators.

And then…others followed.

Tatum started knocking down shots.

Marcus Smart was scoring and dishing out assists, and down the stretch came up with multiple defensive plays of significance - the kind of plays you expect from the league’s Defensive Player of The Year.

Just like that, the Celtics seemingly on the brink of playoff elimination had rallied to not only win the game, but regain home court advantage in the series with a spirited 116-108 comeback win to even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. Game 5 moves back to Boston on Wednesday, with Game 6 back in Milwaukee on Friday.

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s Game 4 victory.

STARS

Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Boston Celtics continue to have no answer for how to limit the two-time MVP. His scoring, rebounding, defense, passing…he is showcasing the entire package in this series. Game 4 was yet another strong game for Antetokounmpo who tallied 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists.

Al Horford: He has been the Celtics' most consistent player in this series. And in Game 4, Horford was Boston’s best player, too. He opened the game by making his first four shots before finishing with 30 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

STUDS

Jayson Tatum: It took a while for Tatum to get into any kind of flow, but to his credit. He made the shots when they absolutely mattered, finishing with a double-double of 30 points and 13 rebounds along with five assists.

Marcus Smart: The Celtics’ point guard was among the Celtics with a solid bounce-back performance in Game 4. In addition to some really clutch defensive plays in the fourth quarter, he managed to score 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting along with eight assists and two blocked shots.

Derrick White: The Celtics traded for him because of his playmaking and defense. But in Game 4, White also delivered one of his best shot-making games of the postseason. White would finish with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting, delivering the kind of bench performance that was instrumental in Boston tying up the series.

DUDS

Jrue Holiday: He has been scoring a ton, but his inefficient shot-making finally caught up to him and the Bucks. He had 16 points but did so on 5-for-22 shooting from the field.