MILWAUKEE — At first, it seemed like two New England sports teams were going to get blown out by the state of Wisconsin on Sunday. That was not the case.
The Boston Celtics made up for the New England Patriots’ ugly performance with a monster victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. After going down 20-6 to open the game, the Celtics fought back.
Jayson Tatum caught fire from deep range. Paul George caught fire from… everywhere. And the rebounding department showed up in a big way for Boston.
Boston flipped what would have been a very disappointing loss into a dominant victory. The Celtics walked out of Milwaukee with a 117-97 victory.
For the third straight game, Mitchell Robinson looked like a much better version of himself than the one who started the season. He was originally questionable for this game due to an illness, but he played, and he played well.
Robinson was a beast on the boards, just as he’s been his entire career up to this point. He was battling on both ends of the court, giving the Celtics a major boost.
Defensively, Robinson was much improved, too. In the first half alone, he grabbed three steals and blocked a shot. He was moving his feet well whether he was guarding the perimeter or the paint.
His third-quarter stint wasn’t quite as ideal. He missed a defensive rebound, then jumped too early, giving up a layup, but even then, he turned things around. Just a couple of plays later, he threw down a monster alley-oop.
The beginning of this game was ugly. The Celtics didn’t look like they had come to play. It seemed as though they weren’t up for this game.
Boston had just played the Bucks a couple of games ago, eking out a victory. But the 1-8 Bucks are still the 1-8 Bucks, and the Celtics didn’t have Tatum for that game.
Regardless, the defensive intensity was non-existent. Milwaukee rushed out to a 20-6 lead, stepping into wide-open looks from beyond the arc.
The Celtics turned things around, closing the quarter with a 19-7 run of their own after a timeout around the seven-minute mark. But still, the start was ugly.
What a season it’s been for George. He couldn’t miss Milwaukee. Everything he touched turned to gold. It felt like every time he shot the ball, it was going down.
George was coming off screens. He was creating for himself. He was fighting hard on the defensive end. It was a beautiful, all-around performance from the veteran star.
If George keeps playing like this, he’ll have a real shot at making the All-Star Game come February. He’s been the second-best player in Boston this season.
