The Milwaukee Bucks fell to their eighth loss of the season after a 107-113 loss to the Boston Celtics tonight. The rival franchises exchanged some contentious moments during the game, primarily during the third quarter when Giannis Antetokounmpo closed out aggressively on a Jayson Tatum three-pointer, landing on Tatum’s ankle and injuring the Celtics superstar by giving him no landing space.
https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1855733376432705872
Tatum was not happy about the no-call, even receiving a technical foul for arguing the same during the contest. He tweeted his frustrations and also spoke to reporters about the play.
“The coaches calmed me down. I get my fair share of techs throughout the season, rightfully so or unrightfully so, but there are certain calls I feel like you can’t miss. Your job is to protect the guys on the court and protect the shooter. I could have been out for six weeks or whatever, so for it to be a no-call, I lose my sh*t, cuss somebody out, and then get a tech. It’s like a double whammy. That sh*t is frustrating when all you get is a ‘Sorry, we missed it,’ when your ankle is swollen up.”
“Smfh, some calls you just not supposed to miss,” said Tatum on social media.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla weighed in on the matter as well during his postgame media requirements.
“That’s ridiculous. Can’t miss that. Can’t miss that … And [Tatum] didn’t let it impact the rest of the game on either end of the floor. But the refs did a great job, they knew that they missed it … That’s something that’s gotta be [called] because it could have hurt. He’s hurt an ankle before. But credit to him for handling it the right way.”
The Celtics won’t be too upset as they walked out with a 113-107 win on the road over their rivals. Tatum ended the game with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, scoring 23 of those points after the near-injury moment with Giannis. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday contributed 15 points apiece while Payton Prichard came off the bench with 18 points.
The Bucks were a one-man army, with Giannis putting up 43 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists amidst a very poor Damian Lillard showing. The point guard managed to score just 14 points on a night where even slightly better production could’ve earned the Bucks a morale-shifting win over the reigning NBA Champions.
Giannis upset Tatum with his aggressive defense and even antagonized Jaylen Brown by faking out a handshake with the reigning NBA Finals MVP. Given the Bucks are now 2-8 and staring down what might be a disastrous season, they need to find ways to start winning on the court before anything else.
The Bucks will host the Toronto Raptors next, while the Celtics get ready to host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday,
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