Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston vs Milwaukee game

The Celtics were very much in the Christmas spirit of giving because this loss to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks was a game that they gave away after leading by as many as 19 points.

OK, so the latest Boston Celtics loss wasn’t all that surprising.

They were on the road, on Christmas Day, facing the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks whose best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo was cleared to play on Christmas after having been in the league’s health and safety protocol for more than a week.

And yet the Celtics had every reason to feel as though they let a very winnable game slip through their fingertips.

No one would blame Celtics head coach Ime Udoka if he delivered a post-game rant similar to former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Greene in 2011, following a loss to the Chicago Bears.

“They're who we thought they were,” lamented Greene who died in 2016. “They are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook!”

Boston led by as many as 19 points. Seldom-used Jabari Parker had nine points in 12 minutes. Payton Pritchard (16 points) was knocking down shot after shot after shot.

All that went to waste, courtesy of a fourth-quarter surge by the Bucks led by Antetokounmpo.

Yes, the Celtics absolutely let the Bucks off the hook and in doing so, delivered yet another underwhelming performance resulting in a loss that should not have been.

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

STAR

Giannis Antetokounmpo: The numbers across the board speak to how dominant Antetokounmpo was on Christmas: 36 points. 12 rebounds. 5 assists. 2 blocked shots. But the most important number of the night was 16. That was the point differential (21-5) over the final 5:34 when Antetokounmpo checked back into the game.

STUDS

Khris Middleton/Jrue Holiday: No matter how impressive Giannis Antetokounmpo may be, the Bucks are not champions without the services of Middleton and Holiday who each had 17 points on Christmas. Middleton provides spacing because of his long-range shooting skills, while Holiday’s leadership, defense and playmaking make him an indispensable part of this Bucks program.

Bobby Portis: We have seen Portis play better and deliver bigger numbers, but his play was a much-needed gift for the Bucks. The Celtics maintained a double-digit lead most of the game, but it could have easily spiraled out into a 20, 25-point hole for them if it wasn’t for Portis’ play around the rim. He would finish with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists.

Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown: When you have a pair of All-Stars both under-25 like Tatum and Brown, how they play often dictates how well the Celtics will fare. They each finished with 25 points against Milwaukee, a good but not good enough performance. With so many core players in the league’s health and safety protocol, Boston needs “Top-5 Tatum” to be special. He was good on Saturday, but far from special. Brown has shown a tendency to score in bunches, delivering the kind of instant offense Boston needed in the fourth quarter. Of his 25 points, only four came in the fourth quarter when he missed four of his five, fourth-quarter shots.

DUDS

Celtics’ late-game execution: The ball movement that was so important to Boston building up a strong lead for most of the game, was nowhere to be found when it mattered. The Celtics once again reverted back to playing too much isolation basketball which made life much easier for Milwaukee’s defense. Boston had 24 assists for the game, but only one assist - yes, one assist - came in the fourth quarter.