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7 takeaways as Dennis Schröder propels Celtics over short-handed Bucks
Schröder's huge night was mildly controversial among Celtics fans.
Here are the takeaways, as the Celtics needed overtime to beat the very short-handed Bucks on Friday.
1. Dennis Schröder had a career night, but a mildly controversial one among Celtics fans. He scored a ton of points efficiently (38 points on 16-for-27 shooting, his second-highest career total), but he struggled to hang on to the ball for the second game in a row (six turnovers), and his defense left a lot to be desired.
He was, however, undeniably a major net positive for the Celtics. In the overtime period, he almost single-handedly put the Bucks away with a flurry of buckets and kept the offense humming by beating defenders off the bounce repeatedly.
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The turnovers were a little ugly, although they didn’t lead to fast-break points. Schröder noted that on one play in the overtime period, he shied away from passing because he didn’t want to commit another turnover.
“I was scared that I’d turn it over again,” he said. “I was hesitant.”
Still, the Celtics wouldn’t have been in a position to win without Schröder.
“It was big. We needed it,” Tatum said. “I said it the other day: When we got guys [out], whether it’s [Jaylen Brown] or whatever, rather than myself, more guys are going to have an opportunity. We definitely needed it tonight.”
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2. Schröder drew MVP chants at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. At the risk of saying something sacrilegious for Celtics fans, Schröder’s performance felt a little reminiscent of Isaiah Thomas — a defensively challenged guard lighting up opposing bigs who switch onto him with quickness and a variety of dribble moves and tough finishes.
“Just take what the defense gives me,” Schröder said when asked about attacking Bobby Portis. “Big guy, we emphasized that before the game, to try to play pick-and-roll with Bobby Portis in it and then try to play out of it. And then just me being aggressive in overtime, it worked out. Just trying to pick my spots and tonight they went in.”
3. The Celtics’ stagnant late-game offense surfaced again before Schröder started driving hard to the rim — for a few minutes, a loss to a Bucks team playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton felt like a real possibility. At its worst, the Celtics’ offense is muddy — full of bad isolations and worse shots. Consistent late-game scoring from Schröder would be an important development, because the Celtics badly need to find easy, repeatable buckets for close games.
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Ime Udoka acknowledged there was a bit of a letdown for the Celtics knowing Giannis Antetokounmpo was out along with Khris Middleton.
“They still have good players,” Udoka said. “I’ve been on the other side plenty of times, especially in San Antonio where we’d sit guys and won games all the time. Teams do have a natural letdown. We tried to fight that early and I felt like we were a little off in the first half but it got better in the second half.”
4. Robert Williams once again hit the offensive glass for six rebounds (10 total) against a team that was overwhelmed by his size, length, and athleticism. Williams is averaging nearly six offensive rebounds per game in his last seven games and has 14 in his last two. He has been productive as a scorer as well — Williams finished 5-for-5 from the floor with 12 points. In his last five games, he has missed just seven shots total (28-for-35, 80 percent from the floor).
As a whole, the Celtics were dominant in the paint — outscoring Milwaukee 62-42. The fast-break points and a few extra 3-pointers by the Bucks nearly made up the difference.
5. Marcus Smart threw perhaps one of the best passes of his career to Al Horford late in the third quarter.
Smart seemed to catch a groove as a passer: He made two pin-point passes out of the pick-and-roll in the first half prior to his driving dish to Horford. He also dropped 12 points in the third quarter to finish with 19 points and six assists. Celtics fans might have a new appreciation for Smart after three straight solid offensive performances (and after watching Schröder struggle on the defensive end).
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6. The Celtics debuted new warm-up uniforms, and they were largely well-received by Celtics fans.
Less well-received: This year’s City Edition jerseys from Nike.
The hottest jersey take you’ll find here is that the warm-ups look good and the jerseys are nothing fancy but fine as an alternate. Fans who feel passionately might accurately counter that the Celtics have one of the best regular jerseys in the league, and we would agree wholeheartedly there. However, the NBA would very much like you to purchase several Jayson Tatum jerseys, not just one.
7. The Celtics travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Saturday. Jayson Tatum hopes to see old friend Tacko Fall, who is on a two-way deal with the Cavs.
“We’ve got to stop Tacko,” Tatum said. “That’s the game plan. You know how tall he is and how big he is. … I hope he’s there. I obviously miss him and how much of a joy he is to be around. All the fans love him. So that’s the game plan tomorrow — stop Tacko, beat him up and down the court, get him in foul trouble.”
Tatum was also asked about playing against Semi Ojeleye, who signed with the Bucks this offseason.
“He got an offensive rebound over me, feel like he pushed me in the back, and everybody can see how strong Semi is,” Tatum said. “I told him we go way back, he didn’t have to push me.
“I know he’s going to compete, he’s going to play hard, and I love that he’s getting an opportunity. I know how hard he works, the time he puts in and I’m just happy for him.”
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