3 keys for the Milwaukee Bucks to re-take series lead vs Boston Celtics

The Milwaukee Bucks will need to do a better job limiting corner 3s in Game 3

As I mentioned, the Celtics went hog wild shooting the ball in the first half of Game 2. They shot 65 percent on 20 3-point attempts led by Jaylen Brown going 5-for-5. While you shouldn’t expect that to happen again, there are some things the Bucks need to clean up to help ensure that.

The Bucks are always going to give up a lot of 3s, that’s what they choose to allow in their defense while taking away the paint. They’ve done a great job limiting shots at or around the rim as well as contesting everything to make the looks they do get in those areas incredibly difficult.

In Game 1, the Celtics did exactly what the Bucks wanted and took 39 of their 3s above the break. That is precisely what Milwaukee’s defense gears itself to allow and Boston did exactly that.

Game 2 was more problematic as Boston got 17 corner 3s in non-garbage time minutes according to Cleaning the Glass. Milwaukee allowed fewer than nine per game this season (Boston took nine in Game 1).

Aside from dunks and layups, corner 3s are the absolute best shot you can get on offense, and getting 17 of them is great. If you’re the Bucks, though, that number needs to come back to what it was in Game 1.

Boston’s offense thrives off of drive and kicks from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and their other on-ball creators. Milwaukee’s rotations limited the corner 3s in Game 1 but didn’t have the same crispness last game.

The Celtics likely won’t shoot as well in Game 3 as they did in the first half of Game 2, but the Bucks can also do their best to not let it happen by getting back to cutting off the amount of corner 3s that are taken.