The Boston Celtics tied the series with the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4. The Celtics won the reigning champion 116:108 and, in contrast to Game 3, this time crowned a comeback in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics were seven points down following 36 minutes, before Al Horford and Jayson Tatum in particular turned up the heat. Horford had 30 points (11/14 FG, 5/7 threes) and 8 rebounds, while Tatum had 30 (11/24, 3/10 threes), 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Together, the duo scored 28 of the Celtics’ 43 points in the final period.
Jaylen Brown contributed 18 points (5/11 FG) to the win but also had foul problems. Marcus Smart also had 18 points (8/13), plus 8 assists. For Daniel Theis, on the other hand, it was a used evening, he missed every one of his five throws in 10 minutes.
Milwaukee, on the other hand, was not enough for another strong performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo (34, 14/32, 18 rebounds, 5 assists). The Greek also visibly ran out of juice in the fourth quarter, which is why he even got a small break five minutes before the end. Jrue Holiday (16, 5/22, 9 assists) showed a lot of light defensively, but also a lot of shadows in attack. Brook Lopez (17), Wesley Matthews (12, 3/4 threes) and Pat Connaughton (11, 3/6 3P) also scored in double digits.
The Celtics first had to make a change in the starting five, Grant Williams started for center Robert Williams (knee problems). The Bucks, on the other hand, started like the firemen, Holiday and Matthews exerted great pressure on the perimeter, when the three came down and a double-digit lead resulted. Apart from a dunk, hardly anything came from Tatum once more, the Celtics as a team seemed taken by surprise. However, Milwaukee missed a lot (6/16 in the zone) and only led 25:18 following a quarter.
Horford and Tatum turn game in favor of the Celtics
But the Celtics caught themselves. Fewer offensive rebounds were given and open threes sunk. Horford, already the best Celtic in Game 3, gave the visitors the first lead of the evening midway through the section from downtown. Giannis was already on a double-double (15, counter, 11 boards), but bricks were being thrown around him. But the Greek was also heavily pressured on his finishes (only 4/11 in the zone). The Bucks were up 48-47 at the break, despite a shot rate of 35 percent.
The Bucks got better out of the dressing room, Antetokounmpo took over as in Game 3 and threw fouls three and four on Brown within minutes. Tatum slowly found his rhythm on the other side, for the first time he shook off his opponent Matthews in a drive. The quarter still belonged to the Bucks star, who used his power to hit the basket at will, no matter who got in his way. Holiday pulled the fifth foul once morest Brown at the end of the quarter, Boston still reduced the lead to 73:80 before the final quarter.
With a 7-0 run, completed by a Horford slam, the Celtics were right back. An open exchange of blows then developed with numerous leadership changes. Man of the hour was Horford, who hit his fifth three of the night and followed shortly followingwards with an And-1 once morest Lopez. Everything was going well for Boston now that Tatum was suddenly on the spot. The forward scored 10 points in one minute, a good three minutes before the end the guests were in double digits thanks to a 14:2 run. Antetokounmpo didn’t get a chance, so the offense faltered and the Bucks didn’t get back into the game.
The most important statistics
Milwaukee Bucks (3) – Boston Celtics (2) 108:116 (BOXSCORE), Serie: 2-2
- The Bucks led at the break despite only hitting 35 percent from the field (BOS: 40 percent), hitting a three-pointer fewer and sinking two fewer free throws. The difference was that Milwaukee had a whopping 51 throw attempts on their box score following 24 minutes. This was possible thanks to 10 offensive rebounds (BOS: 2) and 7 forced ball losses, which they used to get 11 points.
- As in Game 3, Antetokounmpo took charge in the third quarter. The Finals MVP scored 13 points in the section while pulling foul following foul on his drives. The Celtics had no solution to this elemental force, the Bucks scoring 16 points in the zone thanks largely to Giannis following only 20 in the entire first half.
- Al Horford is a playoff veteran but has never scored 30 points before. Now it worked on the 132nd attempt, nobody had to wait that long for the first 30-point game. The old record was 90 games, held by Clifford Robinson. At 35, Horford is also the oldest 30-point scorer for the Celtics since the legendary John Havlicek (1977).
- The Bucks’ shooting remains an issue. 33 percent from a distance (BOS: 38) was ultimately not enough for the champion, who might hardly hit a jump shot in this game. The Bucks hit 22/32 in the direct vicinity of the ring, but from all other areas it was just under 27 percent. In the end, ten more throws than the opponent were not enough.
- The Bucks’ defense is the best in the NBA this postseason, but that was nowhere to be seen in the fourth quarter. Admittedly, the Celtics were also red hot, there was no other way to explain 42 points with 84 percent shooting (16/19 FG, 4/5 three, 7/7 FT). It was by far the best quarter of visitors in this series.
The star of the game: Al Horford
He is by far Boston’s best player in this series. The 35-year-old even set a personal record for the postseason with 30 points (previously 26), but his influence stretched far beyond that. He mightn’t stop Antetokounmpo, but he did get stops every now and then. His shooting once morest the Bucks remains a key aspect, with five three-pointers made also a playoff-best for Boston’s No. 42.
The flop of the game: Grayson Allen
In a series where defensively limited players hardly have a place, it’s tough for Allen. Boston attacked the guard at every opportunity and if he doesn’t pose any threat from the outside, there is no reason to play him. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer saw things differently and even let Allen play for a few minutes in the fourth quarter. In the end it was 29, in which he only scored 7 points (3/7 FG, 1/4 three). Honorable Mention: Holiday’s sometimes wild shot selection and decision-making on offense.
The scene of the game
This man is said to be 36 years old soon? Al Horford plays a monster series and unleashed a dunk early in the fourth quarter unlike anything he’d seen in years. From the three-point line, Big Man made a move to the basket following a fake on Giannis and stuffed the former Defender of the Year with fouls and plenty of authority. It then put a T for Horford, who probably hadn’t forgotten as Antetokounmpo had dunked over the Celtics big minutes earlier.
Celtics vs. Bucks: The series at a glance
| Spiel | Datum | time | Heim | away | result |
| 1 | 1st May | 19 o’clock | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 89:101 |
| 2 | 4. May | 1 O ‘clock | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 109:86 |
| 3 | May 7 | 9:30 p.m | Milwaukee Bucks | Boston Celtics | 103:101 |
| 4 | May 10 | 1:30 | Milwaukee Bucks | Boston Celtics | 108:116 |
| 5 | 12. May | 1 O ‘clock | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | – |
| 6 | 14. May | TBD | Milwaukee Bucks | Boston Celtics | – |
| 7* | 16. May | TBD | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | – |
*if necessary
