Boston Celtics fall Milwaukee Bucks 119-112: Jayson Tatum’s ice-cold shooting plus 5 things we learned

The Boston Celtics fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 119-112 on Friday evening, opening their slate of games in the Disney World bubble.

Here are five things we learned.

1. Jayson Tatum had one of the worst games of his career.

Tatum’s struggles in the bubble are no longer just a scrimmage phenomenon.

On Friday, Tatum had one of the worst games of his career — he finished just 2-for-18 from the field with five points. One of his makes was only credited to him after Giannis Antetokounmpo accidentally tipped it in. Every time Tatum drove the hoop, he was met by a combination of Bucks defenders (more on their defense in a minute). Every time he pulled up from deep or from the midrange out of the pick-and-roll, he looked uncomfortable and off balance.

The Celtics still have plenty of time before the playoffs, so fans shouldn’t panic about Tatum’s struggles yet. But Tatum’s misses now count toward his shooting percentage for the season, so perhaps it’s time to take them a little more seriously.

2. Marcus Smart vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be something to try.

As always, we need a caveat here: The goal against Antetokounmpo is to guard him with one player without giving up a 50-point night, not to stop him entirely. Antetokounmpo can’t be stopped entirely.

Smart will always give it his best shot, however, and he pesters Antetokounmpo better than just about anyone else in the league. Additionally, having Smart guard Antetokounmpo could allow the Celtics to play their Best Five lineup against Milwaukee — Brook Lopez can post up, but he can’t really be asked to do it all game and keep the Bucks’ offense efficient.

The only counter: Smart is always willing to give up his body for charges, which only happen when he is the help defense. Still, the Celtics would probably trade those charges for all the other benefits.

3. Milwaukee’s defense caused the Celtics tons of issues.

The Bucks have designed their entire defense to prevent baskets at the rim, and it worked wonders against the Celtics — particularly Tatum, who never got on track. If the Celtics hope to have a chance against Milwaukee, they will need to pull the Bucks’ rim protectors away from the rim.

Having Walker on the floor for extended minutes will help — Walker forces opponents to step up and defend mid-range jumpers. If Tatum can get a couple of shots to fall, that would help too.

4. Kemba Walker looked great in his limited minutes.

Brad Stevens warned everyone that Walker’s minutes were ironclad, and sure enough, Walker was off the floor deep into the second half to rest his sore left knee.

But in his limited minutes, Walker was very good. Athletically, he appeared much quicker and shiftier than he looked before the season shut down, and his shot looked good as well. A healthy, productive Kemba Walker would be an absolutely essential addition for the Celtics’ postseason run.

5. Getting mad at the officials is back too.

Bucks fans on Twitter were livid that Marcus Smart appeared to pull Antetokounmpo down going for a rebound in the first half. Celtics fans were angry that Antetokounmpo appeared to foul out twice, only to have the call pulled back both times.

The NBA is officially back.

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