The Milwaukee Bucks took on the Boston Celtics last night in the battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and came out on top with a 104-91 victory.
The big talking point from the game however is the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP went down clutching his calf in the third quarter and didn't return to the game. Today we have received some positive news that Giannis has avoided damage to his left Achilles tendon and his return will depend upon the treatment on his calf.
With three games left of the regular season, Giannis will likely miss all of those. The extended break with the Play-In Tournament games gives him extra time to recover, but it feels as though he may miss the first playoff series. Calf injuries can be difficult to assess with some athletes overcoming them quickly and others seeing extended time out.
There is no doubt Giannis Antetokounmpo will want to play but now it is up to the rest of the roster to step up in his absence.
The Milwaukee Bucks huge win over the Boston Celtics
With the Bucks coming off of a four-game losing streak, it was integral that they broke that run before the postseason and who better to do it against than the best team in the league. Huge news coming into the game was that Malik Beasley was coming off the bench for the first time this season and that Patrick Beverley was starting in his place.
Boston was without starting center Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, so Xavier Tillman started at the five spot. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points on 47.4 percent shooting. Jaylen Brown scored 14, and former Buck Jrue Holiday scored 12 as the only other Boston players to put up double figure points.
A weird piece of history was made last night with the game having the fewest free throw attempts since 1983. The Bucks had two attempts and the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to shoot zero free throws in a game. This is testament to the Bucks not fouling the Celtics, however, the Celtics have been well documented as one of the lesser driving teams in the league.
It was a fantastic first half for the Bucks, with them winning the first quarter 37-21 and then being up 63-43. Boston rallied in the third quarter but never managed to make the comeback. The Bucks held on to win 104-91.
With the round-up out of the way, let's take a look at some studs and duds from last night's Bucks' win over the Boston Celtics.
Stud - Patrick Beverley
Beverley came into the starting lineup and repaid Doc Rivers' faith in him by leading the Bucks with 20 points. That came on 61.5 percent shooting, and he hit four of eight shots from deep along with hustling on the boards to claim 10 rebounds, the most points and rebounds he has had in a Bucks jersey to date.
Defensively, we know what Beverley can bring. Per NBA.com, he held player to 0-of-6 shooting as he brought the tenacity from the start and had a huge impact in his 26 minutes on the floor. Malik Beasley has been in a slump recently shooting wise, and with what Beverley offers defensively, this performance and against the caliber of opponent could see him become the starting two-guard in the playoffs as the Bucks look to utilize his and Damian Lillard's strengths from the start of games.
Since arriving in Milwaukee, Beverley has averaged 5.9 points per game with 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. His shooting splits are down slightly from his 41 percent career average to 38 percent, but Tuesday night, showed that he can still bring it offensively. With Giannis missing time, Beverley's defensive presence is going to be even more integral, and he will have to take the lead with his hustle and energy to galvanize his teammates whilst their superstar is out.
I don't think we can be expecting this performance every night from Beverley, but with him always bringing it defensively, hitting his shots and being helpful on the boards and playmaking, he can be a really useful player in the playoffs.
Stud - Bobby Portis
Bobby Portis has been one of the few players that has kept his standard and even raised it at times since Doc Rivers came into the head coaching role. Portis ended the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
Shooting wise, he has really stepped it up, as he hit 53.8 percent of his shots Tuesday night and since the beginning of March has hit 51 percent of his shots, including 43 percent from deep. In that same span, his points have shot up to 16 per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, which are both significantly above his season average.
Now, with Giannis out, it will be interesting to see if Portis does take his role in the starting lineup or if Jae Crowder slides into the four and Portis' energy is still used when coming off the bench. On both ends, he will need to be even more effective, and we know how Fiserv Forum can be when Portis is firing. The other players feed off of that.
The team as a whole will have to rally together without Giannis, but Portis, in particular, will be expected to step up with him potentially sliding into the starting lineup and looking to impact the game from the start. Portis has really got going since the All-Star break, and he will have to break those postseason struggles to help the Bucks if they want to remain in the playoffs when Giannis returns.
Stud - Brook Lopez
I have done a few of these studs and duds pieces recently, and I have been putting Brook Lopez in the dud category a few times, but Tuesday night, he was impactful on both ends of the floor. With Porzingis out, he needed to take advantage of Tillman starting at the center position for the Celtics.
Like Portis, Lopez finished with 15 points on 55.6 percent shooting and hit five shots from three, which were huge in helping the Bucks go into the half up by 20 points. Six rebounds and two blocks also helped and his impact was felt on both ends of the floor.
For the season, Lopez is averaging 12.5 points on 48.6 percent shooting and 37 percent from deep. Now, without Giannis, he will be expected to anchor the defense in the paint, whether it is Portis or Crowder alongside him. His ability to stretch the floor will always be integral in any success the Bucks have, and now, the pick-and-pop game with Lillard could be huge in the playoffs to create shots for each other but also open up the court for other players to find their spots.
Giannis missed some time in the playoffs last season, and Lopez stepped up by averaging 19 points per game and in the Conference Finals win over the Atlanta Hawks. Without Giannis, he put up 33 in Game 6. He has shown when it is required he can step up and I think the same will happen in the playoffs with him having a much bigger impact offensively.
Dud - Malik Beasley
Beasley's slump continues, this time from the bench. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Beasley also saw himself lose minutes, and it feels like following that performance from Beverley, Beasley will be part of the bench unit from now on.
Tuesday night, he scored just five points as he hit 2-of-7 shots and only 1-of-5 from deep in 25 minutes. Since the beginning of March, Beasley is shooting 35 percent and 32 percent from 3-point range. That doesn't seem too bad on average, but he has seen games where he has hit just 1-of-10 shots from beyond the arc and hit under 30 percent in 10 games.
When you compare it to his season average of 44 percent shooting and 41 percent from three, it is worrying as we head into the playoffs. As rotations shorten, and with A.J. Green scoring more points on just three shots, Tuesday night could be a worry for Beasley. He has the experience over Green, but last season, he averaged three points in the playoffs for the Lakers and shot under 30 percent from the field and deep, so he may slowly find his minutes being significantly reduced.
His shooting can be a huge plus for the Bucks, as we have seen for most of the regular season. If he doesn't get out of the slump soon, then he could have his minutes being given away to the younger guys on the bench if he isn't hitting his shots.
Dud - Damian Lillard
It wasn't a terrible performance from Lillard Tuesday night, but he is going to be the one expected to step up with Giannis out. He has shown those Portland-like performances when Giannis has been out of the lineup, and it will allow him to be the center of the offense again and be the lead scorer that he has been used to so much throughout his NBA career.
He finished the game with 12 points and five assists on 45 percent shooting and hit 2-of-5 shots from 3-point range. It was a fairly efficient performance, but he has only scored less than 12 points on three occasions this season, so one of his less impactful offensive games. When guarded by Holiday, it was never going to be easy.
I am expecting him to jump up to averaging 28-30 points per game whilst Giannis is out both in the regular season and also in the playoffs. His last appearance in the playoffs with the Blazers saw him average 34.3 points on 46 percent shooting and 45 percent from three. That is the sort of Dame the Bucks will need along with others stepping up to keep them in the playoffs for Giannis' return.
The reason Dame was brought to Milwaukee was for times like the playoffs, so this is where we will hopefully see the real him. Beverley partnering in the backcourt from the start will allow him to focus more on his offense, with Beverley taking those key defensive assignments and getting the best out of Lillard.
Dud - Pat Connaughton
Pat Connaughton is another player who didn't necessarily have a terrible game, but his impact wasn't really felt. He finished with just four points on 2-for-6 shooting, and his experience has been key for the Bucks in previous postseason runs. Again, he is another player who will have to add more from the bench in terms of scoring as well as his energy on defense.
His shooting splits since March have been down to 38 percent from the field and just 28.6 percent from deep. Tuesday night, he missed his only shot from three, and Milwaukee will need him back up to the season average of 43.6 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
Similar to Beasley, Connaughton is likely to remain within the rotation, but Green having another good shooting night and outscoring both in fewer minutes could see him work his way into the shortened rotation as he is a career 41.5 percent shooter from deep, which is so valuable in the playoffs. Defensively, he may not be the same, but when a shot is needed, there aren't many better than him on the Milwaukee Bucks roster.
It was not Connaughton's worst night by any means, but he will need to really bring it in the final few weeks if the Bucks are to hold onto the two seed and also make a postseason run.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis with the regular season coming to an end and the playoffs being just around the corner.