Stars, studs and duds: ‘The Amir we need'

BOSTON – Amir Johnson had no idea how long it had been since he had scored in double-figures.

When I told him the last time prior to Thursday night’s 15-point performance in Boston’s 112-107 win over Milwaukee was Jan. 15, the 6-foot-9 forward barely blinked.

There had been 18 games in between Johnson scoring in double figures, but scoring has never been something Johnson has paid much attention to.

“I had no idea,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to count these wins.”

Indeed, Boston did not bring Johnson here to be a scorer, but rather a defender who can also rebound and every now and then, score a little.

“That’s the Amir we need,” said Isaiah Thomas. “Guy that brings energy, stays on the boards and makes shots around the rim tonight. He had a hell of a game tonight.”

Jae Crowder was the Celtic setting the tone, but Johnson’s play wasn’t too far behind. In the first quarter alone, Johnson had nine points and seven rebounds.

“I thought he was really ready and really engaged,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “A great way to gauge that is the offensive rebound tip-dunks. Just the energy around the rim was excellent. And we need him; we need him.”

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Thursday night’s game:
 

STARS

Isaiah Thomas

Thomas once again came up big for Boston, delivering the kind of balanced game offensively that makes him an extremely tough cover. He scored a game-high 27 points but spent a good chunk of the game setting his teammates before finishing with a team-high seven assists.

Jabari Parker

Slowly but surely, Parker is looking more and more like the dominant player many expected to see when he came out of Duke. He led the Bucks with 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting to go with six rebounds and two assists.

Jae Crowder

The Bucks had major problems from the game’s outset defending Crowder. And if not for foul trouble, there’s a very good chance the 6-foot-6 Crowder would have had a career night scoring. That said, he still finished with an impressive 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds.


STUDS

Amir Johnson

It had been more than a month since Johnson hit the double-figure scoring mark. His offensive punch was a much-needed boost for the Celtics as Johnson finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

Greg Monroe

He didn’t dominate the Celtics like he did in their previous meeting, but there was no mistaking Monroe’s impact on the game. Monroe had 20 points off the bench to go with eight rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.

Jared Sullinger

This was another one of those solid, under-the-radar performances that Sullinger seems to be delivering with some consistency. The 6-9 big had his 17th double-double this season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Khris Middleton

He played more minutes (42) than any player tonight, and for the most part was productive during that time. He had 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting in addition to five rebounds, six assists and three steals.

DUDS

O.J. Mayo

He had been playing pretty good basketball for the Bucks recently, but Thursday was definitely not his game. He finished with just three points on 1-for-4 shooting, with as many turnovers (2) as assists (2) not to mention four personal fouls.