Tatum: "I Have to Be Better"

Jayson Tatum had a horrific Game 3, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-19 shooting in 41-plus minutes of court time. Can he and the Celtics bounce back to even up the series with a Game 4 win on Monday?

MILWAUKEE – NBA coaches spend hours pouring over game footage, looking for any and all potential advantages that could make a difference.

But there are times when victory is literally about getting a good bounce.

Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday lost control of the ball during a critical late-game possession for Milwaukee. The ball eventually found its way back to him, followed by a short shot in the lane that took a very generous bounce around the rim before falling through the net.

Moments later, Boston’s Marcus Smart made the first of two free throws and intentionally missed the second (they were down by two points at the time).

A mad scramble for the loose ball ensued, with Boston having multiple tap-in attempts that failed until Al Horford’s tip-in came about a half-second too late.

No amount of game planning by either coach would have adequately prepared them for this down-to-the-wire finish which gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series.

Boston came up short on several fronts, none bigger than the woeful shooting of Tatum.

He had just 10 points, missing 15 of his 19 shot attempts while logging more than 41 minutes on the floor.

And as much as Tatum struggled, Milwaukee’s star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, continued his one-man mastery of the Celtics' defense.

He would finish the game with a game-high 42 points, to go with 12 rebounds, eight assists and a pair of blocked shots.

“Today was a one-off, where I was probably thinking a little too much, knowing that they give me a lot of attention,” Tatum said after the loss. Obviously, I passed up some open looks…it all comes down to I have to make better reads.”

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds in Boston’s Game 3 loss.

STARS

Giannis Antetokounmpo: The two-time league MVP continues to surge ahead of the rest of the NBA as the game’s most unstoppable player. Game 3 was yet another dominant performance by Antetokounmpo as he bullied his way into the paint early and often before finishing with a near triple-double of 42 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.

STUDS

Jrue Holiday: With Khris Middleton out, the Bucks have continued to lean on Jrue Holiday to be the next best player to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Holiday did his part in Game 3, scoring 25 points on 11-for-30 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Al Horford: The 35-year-old delivered a classic performance that kept the Celtics within striking distance when very little else went their way for most of Game 3. Horford had 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting, which included 12 points in the fourth quarter. Along with his scoring, Horford also had a game-high 16 rebounds to go with five assists and not a single turnover.

Grant Williams: One of the biggest positives for the Celtics was the play of Grant Williams who seems to be coming into his own as the resident enforcer. After Jayson Tatum gets knocked down by Grayson Allen hustling for a loose ball in the second quarter, Williams delivers a hip check that flattened Allen on the ensuing Bucks possession. And in the third quarter, Williams delivered a hard foul to Giannis Antetokounmpo that was reviewed by the officials to see if it needed to be upgraded. They kept it as a common foul, but it was yet another reminder of Williams’ evolving role as the resident tough guy for Boston.

Wesley Matthews: His stat line offensively (four points, 1-for-5 shooting) won’t impress anyone. But the job he did defensively on Jayson Tatum was just as important. The Bucks don’t win without Matthews’ big game defensively.

DUDS

Jayson Tatum: The shot-making hasn’t been nearly as efficient as Jayson Tatum would want in this series, and Game 3 continued that trend. As bad as Tatum was, the Celtics were within striking distance and even took a short-lived lead in the fourth. They simply needed five minutes of “Top-5 Tatum” to complete the comeback. For Game 3, Boston would have settled for “Top-55 Tatum” based on how poorly he played. Fortunately for him and the Celtics, there isn’t much time to dwell on it, not with Game 4 in Milwaukee around the corner on Monday.