3 questions before Game 4 between Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics

Can Wesley Matthews replicate his defensive success on Jayson Tatum from Game 3 in Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics?

The individual matchup between Milwaukee’s Wesley Matthews and Boston’s Jayson Tatum has been a key factor in this series. Given Tatum’s pedigree as one of the best scorers in the league at this point in time, Matthews has certainly had his hands full defending the All-Star during the past three games. After Tatum got the upper hand in Game 2 with a 29-point effort where he buried an impressive 50 percent of his field goal tries, Matthews rebounded with a fantastic defensive effort on the forward in Game 3.

Across 49.50 partial possessions in Saturday’s Game 3, Matthews did a sensational job of limiting Tatum’s production as he went scoreless, having shot 0-of-9 in that span. Matthews utilized some physicality and defensive savviness to keep Tatum in check, taking him out of the matchup for the most part. Largely due to Matthews’ consistent pestering, Tatum had a rough game in total as he scored 10 points on a vile 4-of-19 field goal shooting. Tatum’s rough performance was among the reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks managed to secure the Game 3 victory, and they will certainly aim to limit his contributions once again in a crucial Game 4.

Following what ESPN Stats & Info noted was the second-worst shooting performance of Tatum’s playoff career, he will be out for blood in Game 4. Matthews will once again draw the assignment of slowing him down, and it will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand this time around in Game 4 at Fiserv Forum. The veteran has shown throughout the playoffs that he is always ready for the task no matter how tall, and Matthews will unquestionably have his work cut out for him in this one tonight.