Injury Report
| Player |
Team |
Date |
Status |
Info |
| Khris Middleton |
Milwaukee Bucks |
28 Apr 2022 |
Out (Knee) |
Middleton will miss the Bucks’ entire second round series against the Celtics. |
| Serge Ibaka |
Milwaukee Bucks |
09 May 2022 |
Out (Illness) |
Ibaka was OUT for Milwaukee’s Monday (May 9) game. |
| Sam Hauser |
Boston Celtics |
08 May 2022 |
Out (Shoulder) |
Hauser is expected to miss a few weeks. |
| Robert Williams |
Boston Celtics |
09 May 2022 |
Out (Knee) |
Williams is OUT for Boston’s Monday (May 10) game. |
How Can the Bucks Beat the Celtics?
The Milwaukee Bucks may have dropped their last two games, but they aren’t in a terrible position. If they want to reclaim the series in their favor, they must maintain their defensive focus through all four quarters.
The Bucks held the Celtics to 36.4% through the first quarter, but after that their defence deteriorated. The Celtics went on to shoot over 40% through the last 3 quarters, and a shocking 84.2% on 19 shots in the fourth.
Milwaukee’s offence is lacking without Middleton in the lineup. If they hope to beat the Celtics in Game 5, they must tighten up on defence.
Bucks Key Player: (G) Jrue Holiday
The Milwaukee Bucks’ starting point guard has struggled to be the secondary scoring option with Khris Middleton unavailable. He’s being productive in terms of his counted stats, but his efficiency was poor in Game 4.
In his last game, a loss to the Boston Celtics, Holiday posted 16 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals in 40 minutes of play. Unfortunately, he shot just 5 of 22 on the night, while converting on just 1 of 6 three-point field goal attempts.
Holiday’s playmaking and defensive standards will be a constant for the Bucks. If they hope to slow the Celtics’ offensive role, Holiday needs to help Milwaukee keep pace.
How Can the Celtics Beat the Bucks?
The Boston Celtics overcame the Bucks in their last game off the back of a smart defensive game plan. While they allowed Antetokounmpo to find his baskets, they prevented much of the Bucks supporting cast from making an impact.
Through Game 4 against the Bucks, Boston were able to hold the Bucks to just 18 assists on 39 made field goals. Boston didn’t force many turnovers, just 7 on the night, but they were able to force Milwaukee into a pace that was comfortable for them.
The Celtics want to continue to force the Bucks into difficult shots. If they can make life difficult for the Milwaukee reserves, Antetokounmpo can only do so much to carry them.
Celtics Key Player: (C) Al Horford
The Boston Celtics were able to level the series, with much of their fourth quarter brilliance coming from an unexpected source. Veteran big man Al Horford rarely gets heavily involved in Boston’s scoring efforts, but in Game 4 he was brilliant.
Horford posted 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in Boston’s 116-108 win over the Bucks. He did most of his work in the fourth quarter, where he posted 16 of his 30 points on 6 of 6 shooting from the field.
You likely can’t expect Horford to have similar scoring efforts on a consistent basis, but the threat of his scoring is a new wrinkle to the Celtics’ game that Milwaukee must worry about. If he can be an efficient tertiary scorer to the Celtics’ game plan, Boston has a great chance at beating the Bucks.
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