at
Milwaukee Bucks (10-4) at Boston Celtics (11-3)
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
7:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, BSWI
Radio: Rock 92.9, WTMJ-AM/FM, Sirius XM
Regular Season Game #15, Home Game #6
TD Garden 
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard 
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Damian Lillard
Shooting Guard 
vs
Derrick White vs Malik Beasley
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Khris Middleton
Power Forward 
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center
vs
Kristaps Porzingis vs Brook Lopez
Celtics ReservesDelano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh
2 Way PlayersJD Davison
Nathan Knight
Neemias Queta
Injuries/OutNone
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Bucks ReservesThanasis Antetokounmpo
Pat Connaughton
AJ Green
Andre Jackson, Jr
Robin Lopez
Cameron Payne
Bobby Portis, Jr
Two Way Players Marques Bolden
TyTy Washington, Jr
Lindell Wigginton
Injuries/Out Danian Lillard (oblique) probable
MarJon Beauchamp (ankle) probable
Chris Livingston (ankle) probable
Jae Crowder (groin) out
Head Coach Adrian Griffin
Game Notes The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks for the first of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will meet a second time in Boston on March 20. They will meet twice in Milwaukee on January 11 and April 9. The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season. They won on Christmas Day in Boston and 1 game in Milwaukee. They lost one game in Milwaukee.
The Celtics are 116-111 overall all time against the Bucks. They are 73-41 in games played in Boston. They have won their last 5 games against the Bucks in Boston. The Celtics are first in the East. They had won 6 straight before losing the last game on their road trip. They are 5-0 at home. The Bucks are 3rd in the East. They have won their last 5 games and are 4-3 on the road.
The Celtics just finished a 3-1 road trip. They have this game at home and then play at Orlando on Friday for an In Season Tournament game. They then begin a 7 game home stand that includes Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Orlando. The Bucks are playing in their second straight road game. They beat the Wizards 142-129 in Washington on Monday. They will play the Wizards again on Friday at home.
Derrick White missed Monday's game for personal reasons but was not on the injury list as I write this. Al Horford also missed Monday's game for rest, but is also not on the injury list for this game. MarJon Beauchamp (ankle), Chris Livingston (ankle) and Damian Lillard (oblique) are all listed as probable for this game and will be a game time decision. Jae Crowder is out with a groin injury.
Key Matchups vs
Jayson Tatum vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Bucks' best player and possibly the league's best player. He is averaging 30.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. He is shooting 62.1% from the field but just 25.9% from beyond the arc. He is coming off 2 straight games of 40 or more points. You can't stop Giannis, but you can try to slow him down.
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Damian Lillard
Lillard is averaging 26.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. He is shooting 39.5% from the field and 32.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to play Lillard tightly on defense to limit his production since he is the biggest threat other than Antetokounmpo. This is Holiday's first game against his former team. Hopefully that gives him added incentive to play well to beat them.
Honorable Mention Jaylen Brown vs Khris Middleton
Middleton is averaging 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He is shooting 49% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc. Middleton always seems to get up for Celtics games and is a verified Celtics killer. Jaylen had a very tough game against the Hornets. Hopefully he can get back on track and have a big game in this one.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the biggest key to winning. Defense really does win championships. The Celtics are 3rd with a defensive rating of 107.0. The Bucks are 24th with a defensive rating of 115.4. The Celtics must work harder than the Bucks on defense and keep their focus on the defensive end so as not to allow any easy baskets for the Bucks.
Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is always a big key to winning. The key to rebounding is effort and focus. When the Celtics increase their rebounding effort, it usually improves their play in other areas as well. The Bucks are 21st with 42.5 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 2nd with 47.4 rebounds per game. However, in their loss to the Hornets, the Celtics allowed 17 offensive rebounds for 21 second chance points. In their narrow win over the Grizzlies, they gave up 14 offensive rebounds for 21 second chance points. They have to fight hard to beat the Bucks to rebounds.
Move the Ball - The Celtics are 24th in the league with 24.5 assists per game. In their loss to the Hornets they had just 19 assists. When the ball sticks and players over dribble and try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. When they move the ball and find the open man they are tough to beat. The Celtics need to move the ball and not lapse into hero ball.
Stay Focused - A lack of focus can explain a lot of the Celtics problems when they struggle. The Celtics made quite a few mistakes at the end of the loss to Charlotte. They lost focus and struggled to hit shots that they would usually make. Theytook some questionable shots, missed some layups and stopped moving the ball. They also missed 10 free throws and that shows a definite lack of focus. At times they also lost focus on defense and missed assignments and allowed their opponent open shots on the perimeter and easy shots inside. They must stay focused on playing the right way.
X-Factors Home Game - The Celtics are home after 4 games on the road. They have the home crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. The Bucks are on the road, where they are 4-3 this season, and where they are faced with the distractions of travel, hotel stays and a hostile crowd. The Celtics need to take advantage of playing at home and defend their home court.
Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Some referees call the game tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team and others call it evenly. Some refs just seem to have an agenda that doesn't fit the play on the court. And sometimes the refs are simply atrocious. Giannis seems to always get more than his share of calls as he plows through players on his way to the hoop, leaving bodies in his wake. The Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can't allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.
Topic: Bucks (10-4) at Celtics (11-3) Game #15 11/22/23 (Read 15775 times)