Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 2 loss vs. Bucks

The Boston Celtics suffered a blowout loss on the road at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their second round series. Here are three key takeaways.

The Milwaukee Bucks hadn’t lost back-to-back games at home all season. The Boston Celtics were looking to change that. After a dominant win in Game 1, the Cs improved to 3-0 on the road in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, and were looking to take a controlling 2-0 lead in the semifinals.

Unfortunately for Boston, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks had different ideas. Milwaukee set all kinds of records in its blowout 123-102 Game 2 victory, hitting a playoff record 11 3-pointers in the first half.

Khris Middleton sparked memories of his performance against the Celtics a season ago in the postseason, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 28 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Giannis, who was limited by Al Horford in Game 1, also saw his production rise, netting 29 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 shooting from deep.

For Boston, there’s no reason to panic. Going into Milwaukee and winning two games was always going to be a nigh impossible task. The Celtics now return to Causeway Street and the friendly confines of TD Garden, where they will host Games 3 and 4 of the series, and look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

While Kyrie Irving didn’t have his best game (read: he played the worst playoff game of his career), don’t expect that to continue. The Celtics’ star point guard scored nine points while connecting on only four of his 16 attempts from the field. Irving is a battle-tested, bona fide star in his own right, and should be expected to light up the home scoreboard in the next two games.

For now, the Celtics can hold their heads high having split the first two games and stolen home-court advantage. They will have their work cut out for them at home, though, so here are three key takeaways from Game 2.