Undermanned Celtics deliver a "Good Try, Good Effort" Performance vs Bucks

With at two starters last-minute scratches (Jayson Tatum and Al Horford) and a third (Robert Williams) still out, Boston gave the defending champs all they could handle before coming up short.

No Jayson Tatum.

No Al Horford.

And no Robert Williams III who is still on the mend following surgery to repair his torn meniscus in his left knee.

That’s a lot of ‘no’s’ for a Boston team that for most of Thursday’s game against a fully-loaded Milwaukee team, played as if they didn’t know they were supposed to lose big.

Milwaukee came away with a 127-121 win which snapped Boston’s three-game winning streak. The loss will likely result in the Celtics finishing as the third or fourth seed going into the playoffs.

Boston spent the bulk of the third quarter within striking distance while taking the occasional, short-lived lead.

There was the usual cast of characters stepping up for Boston like Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

But to compete in a game with so many key guys not playing, Boston had to get an unexpected lift or two from some of their end-of-the-bench players such as Sam Hauser (11 points ) or rotation role players like Daniel Theis (22 points).

This Celtics team is well beyond moral victories.

“Good try, good effort” won’t cut it with this team.

A jumper in the lane by Derrick White gave Boston a 104-102 lead early in the fourth, leading to a Milwaukee time-out with 10:24 to play. Boston would lead by as many as five points in the fourth before the Bucks closed out the game with a 9-0 run for the win.

That said, there’s little doubt that the Celtics take a number of positives from Thursday’s loss.

A couple of their core guys (Tatum and Horford) got some rest which should bode well for Boston as they embark on a playoff journey that they don’t anticipate will end anytime soon. It should come as a surprise to no one if we see Hauser get opportunities during stretches when the Celtics are thirsty for scoring.

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

STARS

Giannis Antetokounmpo: The two-time league MVP made the most of Boston’s depleted frontcourt. Inside, outside, off the dribble. It didn’t matter. The Celtics had no answer for Antetokounmpo who had 29 points and 11 rebounds along with five assists.

Marcus Smart: Boston was able to wipe out a double-digit halftime deficit in large part because of Marcus Smart’s outside shooting. Smart would finish the game with a season-high 29 points which included seven made 3-pointers to go with seven assists.

Jaylen Brown: With no Jayson Tatum (sore knee), Al Horford (lower back soreness) or Robert Williams III (torn meniscus, left knee), much of the scoring burden fell on the shoulders of Brown. And to his credit, Brown had a strong game with his second career triple-double, tallying 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

STUDS

Bobby Portis: The high-energy brand of basketball that Bobby Portis brings to the game is needed most nights, but particularly on ones like this when the potential for a let-down is very real. Portis provided a lift off the Bucks bench, finishing with 17 points to go with seven rebounds.

Sam Hauser: This was another game in which Sam Hauser didn’t play major minutes, but the Celtics got maximum value out of the time he spent on the floor. Hauser, a 2.0 points per game scorer this season, tallied 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.

DUDS

Aaron Nesmith: There’s a growing sense that Nesmith’s opportunities to play in the postseason will be few and far between. It isn’t so much that he’s not playing well enough to get on the floor. It’s just that others, like Sam Hauser, are doing more with their limited minutes which will likely result in his role diminishing even more as time moves on.