Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics will host the Milwaukee Bucks for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals after defeating the defending NBA champions 108-95 on Friday behind 46 points from Jayson Tatum.

After the game, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed his strategy for that battle.

"For me, just go out there, play, you know, free," Antetokounmpo said in a postgame press conference on NBA TV. "Be fearless, play free. We don’t owe nobody nothing."

The Bucks have put up a valiant effort despite missing three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee in the first round against the Chicago Bulls. Antetokounmpo has been sensational and finished with 44 points and 20 rebounds Friday.

However, the Bucks are now faced with a win-or-go home scenario on the road. 

"You learn from it [Game 7s]. You learn what the atmosphere is like. You know, you know when the ball gets heavy," Antetokounmpo said.

The 2021-22 version of the Bucks is far better and more battle-tested than the last time the squad saw the C's in a Game 7. In 2018, Boston eliminated Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs.

Antetokounmpo has won two NBA MVPs and an NBA Finals MVP since then, and he's no stranger to coming through in the clutch in the playoffs either, as evidenced by his 50 points to close out the Phoenix Suns in last year's NBA Finals.

Game 7 will go down Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden. The winner will play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

After the Boston Celtics blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Wednesday's Game 5 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, point guard Marcus Smart admitted that the team was unhappy with its performance.

"We were hot, we're hot, just because we know we did it to ourselves. Nobody else. You take the blame," Smart told reporters. "But now, that's it, we got to turn around and go right back at it. We don't got time to sulk, don't got time to put our heads down. It is what it is. On to the next one."

Smart was the subject of some stout defense by Milwaukee guard Jrue Holiday in the game's closing moments. Holiday blocked Smart's layup and threw the ball off him as he went out of bounds. On Boston's final possession, Holiday stole the ball as Smart tried to rush up the court to attempt a game-tying shot.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 40 points and 11 rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a 110-107 win. Holiday finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis also came up big with 14 points and 15 rebounds. He had a key put-back off a missed free throw by Antetokounmpo with 15 seconds left in the game to give the Bucks their first lead since the second quarter. Pat Connaughton hit a pair of free throws with six seconds left for the three-point advantage.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points to lead the Celtics, while Jaylen Brown added 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Smart finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The Celtics will have the daunting task of staving off elimination against the defending champions in Friday's Game 6 in Milwaukee.

The Al Horford game.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown may be the best players on the Boston Celtics, but it was the 35-year-old Horford who unleashed some playoff magic Monday. He defied Father Time on his way to 30 points and eight rebounds while leading the Celtics to a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The series is tied at two games apiece after Horford turned in what may have been a career-best performance:

Horford didn't just stuff the stat sheet, he put the Celtics on his back in some of the game's biggest moments right when it appeared as if Giannis Antetokounmpo (34 points and 18 rebounds) was going to will the Bucks to a win with an incredible showing of his own.

The University of Florida product scored 16 points in the fourth quarter alone while mixing in a combination of three-pointers, moves in the lane and even a blow-by dunk over Antetokounmpo.

Throw in Tatum bouncing back from an ugly 4-of-19 shooting performance in Game 3 with 30 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and a number of clutch plays while scoring 10 points in the last five minutes, and the Celtics have the momentum back on their side.

They will look to keep it when the series returns to Boston for Wednesday's Game 5.

Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III was ruled out for Monday's Game 4 matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks due to left knee soreness, the team announced.

Head coach Ime Udoka told reporters Williams had a "flareup" of the soreness on Monday.

Grant Williams moved into the starting lineup to replace Williams.

It's a tough break for a Celtics team that already finds itself down 2-1 in the series despite Khris Middleton missing the first three games as he recovers from an MCL sprain.

The Williams loss is a big one. The 24-year-old anchored Boston's impressive defensive revival this season, averaging 9.6 boards and 2.2 blocks per game to go along with 10.0 points per contest in 61 starts.

Williams' offensive impact comes mostly from lobs and putbacks, allowing him to shoot an impressive 73.6 percent from the field this season. But his real footprint comes on the defensive end.

With Williams on the court this postseason, the Celtics have given up just 98.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. That jumps up to a 108.8 defensive rating when he sits.

The Celtics will still have Al Horford and Daniel Theis available at the 5, both capable options. But losing Williams for Game 4 means Boston will be without its best rim protector and one of the big men it can throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It's also something of a long-term concern this postseason, should the Celtics survive the Bucks. Williams suffered a torn left meniscus in March and missed around three weeks, returning for Game 3 in the team's first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.

Granted, a loss in Game 4 would leave the Celtics' season on life support. But if Boston can fight back into this series, the status of Williams' knee going forward will be one of the primary storylines to follow.

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst called for the standard of NBA officiating to improve following Milwaukee's 103-101 Game 3 victory over the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

Horst told The Athletic's Eric Nehm he sympathizes with referees because of the difficulty of their job but that he believes there's a clear problem:

I mean this sincerely: I do respect that, at the end of the day, it is a hard job, right? I couldn't do their job. You couldn't do their job. Officiating is hard, just like playing is hard and coaching is hard, and I think we all have a standard of trying to get better and improve. And at the end of the day, that's what stood out to me. We have to improve. That wasn't a quality playoff basketball game, and I think officiating played a role in that. [...]

When you start looking at the numbers, it's just, it's pretty outrageous. And I think our players and Boston's players just deserve to have it be addressed and have it be looked at and to just have some improvement.

The Bucks attempted half (17) as many free throws as the Celtics (34), who had a 14-point edge in scoring at the charity stripe. Giannis Antetokounmpo alluded to his frustration with the officiating but quipped he didn't want to incur a fine because he's "got to pay for diapers":

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was more blunt, telling reporters how he got the impression league officials "want guys to flop more" because that's the easiest way to draw a foul.

Complaining about the referees is nothing new, especially in the playoffs. Coaches and players always look to gain an edge, including attempting to influence how games are officiated.

For Horst, expecting a systemic change to which he seemingly referenced might be unrealistic in the space of a postseason series.

Fresh off the worst playoff game of his career, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum admitted he's still not fully healed from a wrist injury suffered during the regular season. 

“That’s something I’ve been dealing with for probably like two months now,” Tatum told reporters after Sunday's 103-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “It wasn’t anything abnormal. When I fall on it, it bothers me.”

Tatum finished with just 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting as Boston dropped a winnable game in Milwaukee to fall behind 2-1 in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series.

The All-Star forward aggravated the injury when he dunked on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the second quarter. Antetokounmpo went for a chase-down block and fouled Tatum to the floor, leaving him grabbing his wrist as he came up from the court.

"Today was just a one-off. I probably was thinking a little bit too much," Tatum told reporters of his performance. "It all comes down to I just gotta make better reads and a lot of times it was for myself today that I passed up. Obviously, I expect to play better and just come in here Monday [for Game 4] trying to get a win."

Tatum was previously wearing a wrap on his left wrist after the Celtics' Game 2 win. While the injury has been consistently downplayed, it's something worth monitoring as the second round's most competitive series continues.

Tatum did not miss a regular-season game because of injury, playing in 76 of the Celtics' 82 games. 

It appears the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics is set to return to the court following a one-game absence because of a right quad contusion. 

Celtics starting point guard Marcus Smart told reporters Thursday there is a "strong likelihood" he plays Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum after missing Boston's 109-86 Game 2 win at TD Garden.

Smart, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, suffered the quad injury during Game 1 after getting hit in the leg multiple times. He also injured his shoulder, but the Celtics have indicated that his shoulder is fine. 

While Smart believes he will return, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka told reporters the team will have to wait until Friday to know more about his status for Game 3.

"We'll know more tomorrow based on how it feels today," Udoka said. "But obviously looks better today than he did. Just moving around, walking around the last few days when he couldn't go. We'll know more tomorrow."

Smart also dealt with a right quad contusion in January, missing six games. He told reporters that he "reaggravated the same injury that I've been dealing with" in Game 1. It's unclear if the ailment has been bothering him as much as it did earlier this season. 

Smart has been impressive through five playoff games for the Celtics, averaging 15.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Boston will need him to remain healthy to make a deep playoff run. 

That said, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard had underwhelming performances in Game 2 against the Bucks. White finished with just zero points, four rebounds and five assists in the starting lineup, while Pritchard finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. 

Grant Williams and Al Horford were the two players to step up significantly in Smart's absence. The duo teamed up to limit Giannis Antetokounmpo around the rim, and both were effective offensively. Williams had an electric performance, finishing with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists, while Horford finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. 

Getting Smart back into the lineup will be a huge boost for the C's, especially on the road in Milwaukee. 

The Milwaukee Bucks looked downright unbeatable during a 12-point victory in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

Not so much in Game 2.

A desperate Boston team salvaged a split in the first two games at home with a 109-86 victory Tuesday. The Celtics wasted no time setting the tone while jumping out to a 25-point halftime lead and rode that cushion all the way to a win against a Bucks squad that looked "terrible" at times.

Even without Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, the Celtics won the game with their early defense. Grant Williams and Al Horford in particular stood out as they formed a wall around the rim and bodied Giannis Antetokounmpo as he scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting before halftime.

The two-time MVP figured things out in the second half and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but it was Jaylen Brown's star power that shone through when the game was still hanging in the balance in the early going.

He poured in 17 points in the first quarter alone on his way to 30 while dropping Grayson Allen to the ground and bouncing back from a 12-point and seven-turnover performance in Game 1.

While the Celtics still lost home-court advantage by falling short in Game 1, they now have some momentum on their side as the series shifts to Milwaukee for Saturday's Game 3.

The Boston Celtics announced they will be without guard Marcus Smart for Tuesday's Game 2 of their playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a right thigh contusion.

The Bucks roughed up the Celtics in Game 1, claiming a 101-89 victory on Sunday.

Smart has already missed time this season. He also sat out six straight games from Jan. 15-21 with a thigh contusion. 

After playing in 12 games upon returning, Smart suffered a sprained ankle in Boston's 135-87 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 15. He only sat out one game before returning to the lineup.

Things have worked out brilliantly for the Celtics since late January. They were 23-24 after a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 21 but finished the regular season going 28-7 to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.  

Smart remains a vital piece of Boston's starting lineup. He finished fourth on the team with 3.7 defensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference.com. The 28-year-old averaged 12.1 points, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 71 regular-season starts. 

Until Smart is able to return, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka will likely lean more heavily on Derrick White. The offense will continue to run through Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.