MILWAUKEE – As a lot as he strived to be a playmaker Saturday when the open photographs didn’t materialize, the Celtics might have used a bit extra of Jayson Tatum’s scoring facet.
The Celtics star, efficiently trapped all through the afternoon by Milwaukee in the course of the Celtics’ 103-101 Game 3 loss, completed with 10 factors on 4-for-19 taking pictures.
In addition, Tatum continues to take hits on his proper wrist – he got here up from a Giannis Antetokounmpo foul holding it Saturday – however doesn’t blame the damage for what occurred to him in Game 3.
“I fell on it probably, like, two months ago. Some rest would have done it well,” he stated. “It’s healed but just kind of sensitive still, because obviously we’ve been playing every other day and it keeps getting hit and I keep falling on it. But just wrap it up, put a pad on it, and play.”
Saturday’s drawback was an absence of stability in his sport.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing a great job of it. Today was just a one-off where I probably was thinking a little bit too much knowing that they give me a lot of attention,” he stated. “Obviously I handed up some open seems to be that I ought to have — that may have been greatest for the workforce. It result in some turnovers and issues like that. But all of it comes down and I simply bought to make higher reads and plenty of instances it was for myself at the moment that I handed up.
“I don’t think they changed anything. I think they’re doing a good job of showing a crowd and being physical and things like that. I think I was just thinking a little too much today.”
Ime Udoka agrees.
“Just passing up open looks,” the Celtics coach stated of the place Tatum went improper. “Over-thinking it at instances. Just attempting to simplify it and never preserve it to get too sophisticated. But they’re going to sit down again within the lane. You have your pull-ups. Like I stated, after the primary quarter, one or two dribbles too many to form of stepping into the enamel of their protection. We gotta set screens and free these guys up and so they can stroll into a large open shot. But over-penetrated a bit bit. Got into the gang a bit bit and began overthinking a bit bit.
“He over-penetrated at times and got into the teeth of their defense down in the paint,” stated the Celtics coach. “But we do like those paint touches and him generating offense for others, but you have to get him going as well. I would say we talked about the setups and setting screens, which we did a lot better in Game 2 to free him up, but we’ll go take a look at it. But just looking at the halftime edit and what we saw during the game, he had some open shots that he passed up. So nothing they did differently from Game 1 to 2, it’s our execution wise on that end to free him up.”
Complainers
The Celtics had been again to their official-baiting methods Saturday, with Udoka angrily really calling a timeout within the first quarter after Grant Williams paused to argue because the Bucks had been scoring a basket down the opposite finish.
“All the time, yes,” Udoka stated of how typically he tells his gamers to maintain it to themselves. “That play that I called the timeout, he gave up 3, tied game, 13-13, in the first quarter. It was one of the ones that stand out, but just a little bit too much. Let me talk to the refs, let them bitch at the refs, and let’s keep playing. We invite that physicality and don’t want to be the team crying about it.”
A more healthy Smart
Though Marcus Smart predicted his return for Game 3, he additionally admitted that the thigh bruise had restricted him bodily, particularly when getting down right into a defensive stance. But his vary of movement had improved dramatically over the course of three days.
“It was noticeable the last few days. Just a little bit of swelling and pain tolerance,” stated Udoka. “Main thing with him was he looked fine getting shots and going through some basketball movements. Some of the quicker movements got better over the last few days, more treatment on it as well. Looked good yesterday – much better – and he’ll be ready to go.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com