The Milwaukee Bucks might have found a valuable piece against the Boston Celtics in Thon Maker
After tallying one minute of playing time in the first two games of this series, Thon Maker got his chance in Game 3 with John Henson sidelined (back soreness). Although Tyler Zeller took the spot in the starting lineup, Maker made a huge impact off the bench in 24 minutes.
Maker finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five blocks, and was 3-4 from 3-point range. He brought so much energy and passion to the court and he really got the crowd involved. His blocks and 3-pointers really lit up the Bradley Center. I think it is safe to say that he has earned his playing time for the remainder of the series.
Maker isn’t going to go 3-4 from downtown every night (he shot 29.8 percent from 3-point range during the regular season), but he spreads the floor out more than Henson does. Henson primarily operates in the paint and contributes with hook shots, putbacks, and dunks. Maker can play on the perimeter and can open up space for his teammates to operate on offense.
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Now, Maker wasn’t the only reason for the 116-92 victory last night. The Boston Celtics only shot 40 percent from the field for the game, Terry Rozier wasn’t the Terry Rozier from the first two games, Khris Middleton continues to hit ridiculously tough shots, and Jabari Parker dropped 17 points in 30 minutes after he let it be known that he wasn’t happy after the first two games of the series.
The Celtics also had 18 turnovers, which doubled Milwaukee’s. Plus, it doesn’t help when the Milwaukee Bucks have 13 blocks and eight steals, while the Celtics only have two blocks and three steals.
The Celtics had their worst game of the series by far in Game 3. However, Maker is a big part of this series going forward. He gives you the defense and length that Henson provides, but he adds way more on the offensive end of the floor. He adds an entirely new dynamic. The problem for the Celtics is that since Al Horford is on Giannis, Aron Baynes has to stick with Maker.
We saw what happened when Baynes was too late on the closeout and fouled Maker from 3-point range. Baynes can bully and bang with bigs down low, but that is really it. Perhaps the Celtics will play more zone in Game 4. They need to make some defensive adjustments quickly. It is not easy because the Bucks have so much length and versatility to deal with.
Next: Celtics understand how fragile 2-0 can be
The Celtics can’t let the crowd get into the game early on and they need to take care of the basketball in Game 4. You can’t fall behind double digits so early in the first quarter. Game 4 is going to be extremely important because going home up 3-1 is so much different than a tied series at 2-2.