BOSTON – Just as the Boston Celtics’ unexpected climb to the upper echelon was unexpected this season, the same can be said for the expectations they now play with on a nightly basis.
Especially at home which is where the best teams, the teams with legit aspirations of deep playoff runs, find ways to consistently take care of business.
And the Celtics are doing just that with Thursday’s 112-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks giving them nine straight victories at home – the longest success at the TD Garden since 2013.
Making the win over the Bucks even more impressive was the fact that Milwaukee is one of the few teams that the Celtics have major problems matching up with defensively.
For most of the game, that wasn’t an issue with the Celtics storming ahead by as many as 18 points.
But in the fourth quarter, the Bucks began to string together strong plays at both ends of the floor and found themselves within two possessions with about a minute to play.
Fueling Milwaukee’s fourth quarter comeback was a series of Boston mistakes, like Avery Bradley slipping and ultimately losing the ball which led to an uncontested lay-up for Khris Middleton with 1:12 to play that made it a 106-102 game.
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Brad Stevens knew his team was reeling when he called a time-out. As has been the case whenever this team has faced late-game adversity, the coaches and players were extremely positive on the sideline.
That’s because they have managed to come away with victories in too many down-to-the-wire games to ever feel that it’s not their game for the taking.
Out of the time-out, the Bucks did their best to make sure Isaiah Thomas didn’t get a clean look at the rim. So he did what he has done all season – he attacked the rim. As he drove into the lane and the Bucks’ defense collapsed around him, he kicked the ball out to Crowder in the corner … swish!
Fist-pumping ensued among the TD Garden faithful, well aware that Crowder’s shot which put the Celtics ahead 109-102, was the dagger shot they needed.
From there, Boston’s control of the game was never in question.
Being home has been a good thing for the Boston Celtics lately, and Thursday night proved to be no exception.
Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd said prior to the game how impressed he has been with Crowder this season.
“He’s a tough player,” Kidd said. “He plays both ends. He can shoot the 3 and can also drive and get to the basket and get to the free throw line. You can’t forget about him.”
Crowder validated the praise afterwards with a dominant first quarter of play. He led all scorers with 14 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting along with a couple of rebounds. He would finish with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds.
And when Crowder wasn’t controlling the action, Amir Johnson was making a huge impact both scoring the ball as well as rebounding. At the half, he had a near double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds in just 17 minutes. He had 15 points and eight rebounds. It was his first double-digit game since Jan. 15 against Phoenix, a span of 18 games.
Boston also got a strong game from Isaiah Thomas who led all scorers with 27 points along with seven assists. For the Bucks (24-34), Jabari Parker continues to step his game up and led Milwaukee with 22 points and six rebounds. Khris Middleton and Greg Monroe had strong games for the Bucks as well, with 21 and 20 points, respectively.