“Celtics Embrace Crunch-Time Challenges, Unleash Winning Strategies Against Bucks”

The Bucks’ zone defense helped them go on a 21-6 run in the fourth quarter, as the Celtics went from comfortably up to being in a tight matchup.

In today’s NBA, no lead can be considered safe. Even if the club at the top of the standings is playing at TD Garden, where they’ve only lost three games this season, and is up by 21 points against a Milwaukee Bucks team looking to overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence.

The visitors went on a 21-6 run, turning what appeared to be a game that the Boston Celtics would easily win into a close game.

One of the keys to the Bucks slowing down the hosts’ offense and clawing their way back into the game was Doc Rivers’ zone defense, which forced Boston to operate later in the shot clock, making it more difficult to produce quality looks.

After assisting the Celtics in holding off Milwaukee’s rally in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum, who finished with a team-high 31 points despite not attempting a field goal in the third quarter, expressed his thoughts on how they performed against the zone.

“It was one or two possessions where we might’ve lost the ball,” said the five-time All-Star. “One time, KP (Kristaps Porzingis), threw it to where he thought D. White was, he relocated, (Porzingis) threw it out of bounds. But we got some good looks in that.

“I say it all the time: it’s a make-or-miss league. We’re not gonna make them all, but generating good shots. The toughest part was we weren’t getting any stops and that was allowing them to set their defense. They got hot, made some shots, credit to them.”

Tatum’s head coach pointed to how the two-time All-NBA First Team selection handled the Bucks going to a zone defense, remaining calm, patient, and knowing when to strike as crucial factors in staving off the visitors’ comeback attempt.

After praising his team for doing a great job of “organizing the spacing vs. the zone,” Joe Mazzulla stated at the podium post-game, “I thought Jayson’s poise down the stretch of getting to the free-throw line (and) getting to the spot that he wanted was a key to the game.”