In an atmosphere of great evenings, Boston quickly took the lead, carried by the external address of a Smart-Tatum tandem on a mission (6-15). Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled by snapping 17 points in the first act. But despite the 16-2 past by the locals, the Celtics still had the hand after 12 minutes of play following a 3-pointer from Jayson Tatum (26-28). Better, the Celtics took their distance via a 10-2 with once again 3-point shots signed Jayson Tatum and Jaylon Brown (30-40).
The Bucks again relied on Jrue Holiday and a Giannis Antetokounmpo in all the right moves, notably author of a big left-handed dunk, to make the Fiserv Forum roar (39-42). Insufficient, however, to reverse the trend since Derrick White and Marcus Smart ensured before the break to give the Celtics a ten-point lead at the break (43-53)!
The start of the third quarter confirmed the trend, with Boston being more consistent against the explosive Bucks, but only in streaks. Jayson Tatum took it up a notch, scoring another 3-pointer and a lay-up in traffic before passing the baton to Jaylen Brown who chained three straight baskets to make it 50-68 and provoke by the way the 4th personal fault of Giannis Antetokounmpo!
The beginning of the revolt initiated by the « Greek Freak » did not give much, the fault of an unplayable Jayson Tatum who preserved 13 points ahead of his team at the start of the last act after a final missile at 3 -points on the head of Bobby Portis (70-83). But more was needed to discourage Giannis Antetokounmpo who recovered with a huge dunk then by aligning two shots and a 3-pointer to bring his team down to -4 (81-85).
Back on the field, Jayson Tatum then regained control of operations by hitting two 3-point baskets, and two other baskets including one at the end of possession (87-95).
Jalyen Brown and Marcus Smart drove the point home in stride, until a final 2+1 from Jayson Tatum came to complete the last hopes of the locals (89-103). Winners 108-95, the Celtics have thus offered themselves the right to play a Game 7 at home this Sunday!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The reaction of the Celtics in the last act. The scenario almost repeated itself when, trailing by 13 points 12 minutes from time, Milwaukee struggled to come back, carried by an untenable Giannis Antetokounmpo, an opportunistic Pat Connaughton, and the support of an increasingly Fiserv Forum. noisier when the Bucks returned to -4. As if nothing had happened, Jayson Tatum then restarted the machine with a series of baskets in “big balls” mode before receiving support from the Smart-Brown pair at the end to stay the course until the end.
– Opposition of style. The meeting was the subject of a clash of titans between Jayson Tatum on one side and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the other. Each in their own style, the two gratified the meeting with their brilliance, with in particular a 7/15 from 3-pointers on the side of Celtic, and a big presence near the circle on both sides of the floor for the « Greek Freak in his signature bulldozer style. Unfortunately for him, his fault concerns did not help him to free himself at the end, while, on the other side, JT splashed the money-time of his entire class.
– Ignition delay. The game was delayed by a clock problem above the baskets. One was corrected, the other was not, forcing officials to place the clock at the corners of the field. The pre-match was also disrupted by the withdrawal of referee Scott Foster, affected by an illness unrelated to Covid.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jayson Tatum. The Celtics leader missed celebrations as he accumulated the « clutch » baskets to get his team out of business. He finished the match the way he started it, scorching hot, and looked invincible in streaks. It took at least that to force a Game 7!
✅ Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s hard to blame the Greek Freak for something in this match since in addition to pounding the racket, he scored two of his three attempts behind the arc. Only his concern for fault perhaps slowed him down a little at the end. For the rest, he sent very heavy: 44 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists.
✅ Marcus Smart. A first quarter at 4/5 from 3-pointers to put his team on the right track, and constant activity until the end to secure victory. The icing on the cake: zero lost balloons.
⛔ The Greek Freak Lieutenants. As things stand, namely without Khris Middleton, Milwaukee relies mainly on Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis to diversify their attack behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Jrue Holiday started well in attack before disappearing afterwards, Bobby Portis distinguished himself more by his howls addressed to the crowd than by his game. To make matters worse, Grayson Allen also missed out on his role as a sniper. Even if Pat Connaughton played his role, it was a lot for the Bucks.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 7 this Sunday at TD Garden from 9:30 p.m. French time!
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