Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways From Loss To Boston Celtics

The Moose Was Not Reduced

Similar to his performance against the Philadelphia 76ers days earlier, the Bucks wouldn’t have been in the game for as long as they were without Greg Monroe.

Playing 35 minutes, Monroe delivered his eleventh double-double of the year scoring 14 points, hauling in 13 rebounds, grabbing three steals and having three blocks. While it wasn’t his most efficient night as he went 4-of-10 from the field, Monroe made up for that getting to the line (on some timely And-Ones too) regularly, going 6-of-9 from the stripe.

The biggest takeaway of all, though, was the timing of his production. With eight of his 14 points coming in the fourth quarter, Monroe was the reason why the Bucks were able to force the game into overtime, being the central figure in their crunch time offense.

That extended to the defensive end as well as Monroe came up with timely blocks and big-time alters at the rim. Considering all of that came with him playing on five fouls, it’s hard to say if Monroe could have emerged in a bigger way under the circumstances.

It’s unfortunate Monroe’s performance couldn’t come in a win, again similar to the game against the 76ers. Let’s just hope that actually changes the next time around.