The Boston Celtics’ All-Star Jayson Tatum outplays the Milwaukee Bucks in tonight’s stats….
In a much awaited game, the Boston Celtics, led by All-Star Jayson Tatum, faced the Milwaukee Bucks, the second-best club in the East. On Wednesday, the two teams squared up for the third time this year. But Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP of the Bucks, missed the game for the second straight time because of a tight hamstring.
It was significant for the Celtics because, in the first half, their superior shot-making led by Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard was too much for the Bucks’ defense to handle.
Even with a strong start, the visitors closed the gap. The Bucks’ offensive surge in the first quarter was powered by Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley, but Milwaukee finished the quarter behind 33–28.
After scoring ten points in the first quarter, Jayson Tatum continued to show off his scoring skills in the second quarter, scoring thirteen more points to lead all scorers at the half. Lillard and Middleton combined for 26 points, and Patrick Beverley scored nine points off the bench.
After leading by as many as 21 points after a solid fourth quarter, the Milwaukee Bucks managed to stay in the game, closing the gap to 107-110 before Tatum scored four points in a row. He made two of them from the free-throw line, and the Bucks were forced to call a timeout after he scored over Malik in isolation on the following play.The Bucks outscored the Celtics by fifteen points in the fourth quarter, but they weathered that surge to win the game 122-119.
With 31 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 9 of 19 field goals (47.4%), including an effective 4 of 7 from three-point range (57.1%) and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line (90.0%), Jayson Tatum had an outstanding game.
He led the Celtics with six points in the final three minutes, four of which came from clutch free throws. His player expectations for points and rebounds, which were set at over/under 26.5 and 7.5, respectively, were exceeded by the Celtics All-Star. But he nearly missed crossing the assist prop at over/under 4.5.
