Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from thrilling overtime win over Milwaukee

The Boston Celtics picked up their fourth win in their last five games with an overtime victory against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

This is the C’s fourth overtime this season in just twelve games. Both teams are already shorthanded so hopefully these minutes don’t weigh heavily on the players.

Boston was without Jaylen Brown and Milwaukee was without both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The supporting cast for both teams stepped up to put on a show for their first of four matchups this season.

There is a lot to unpack from this game so here are 3 takeaways from this big Boston Celtics victory:

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) The C’s starting backcourt played their best game

The Boston Celtics were in need of a scoring boost in the absence of Jaylen Brown, and their starting backcourt delivered. Dennis Schroder finished with a game-high 38 points and also grabbed eight boards. Marcus Smart, the other half of the backcourt, finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Both guards shot the ball well and went on spurts of their own during crucial periods.

Schroder got going early, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter. This helped the other Celtics ease into the game while he carried the early scoring load.

Smart’s big spurt came in the third quarter where he scored 12 consecutive points for Boston in a rather short span and helped them keep control of the game.

It was Schroder’s turn once again after this, and he delivered a few huge buckets in both the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Celtics secure the win.

Both guards have struggled at times this season but have been progressing nicely and are beginning to find ways to play well alongside one another.

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 2) Jayson Tatum is finding his 3-point shot again

Jayson Tatum has struggled mightily through the first 12 games this season, as he has failed to finish efficiently around the rim and he has been especially poor from deep.

He shot an abysmal 27.3 percent from beyond the arc in the month of October but has begun to turn it around. In November, he is shooting a very solid clip with three made treys a game on 41.9 percent shooting

In the C’s last three games, Tatum has shot 50 percent from deep on a high volume of 28 attempts.

The 2x All-Star will continue to knock down his long-range attempts if he continues to work on his shot selection. Fans of the Boston Celtics know that he is capable of making those tough triples, but sometimes it’s important to rediscover that confidence by taking and making some easy ones.

For a player of Tatum’s caliber, it was never a question of if but rather when he would find his shooting rhythm.

It seems like he’s finally figuring it out.

Boston Celtics takeaway No. 3) The Cs play in yet another overtime game

It is certainly not normal for a team to play in six overtime periods through their first twelve games. The Celtics would’ve played at least one more if not for a Luka Doncic dagger at the buzzer.

Boston needed to be sharper moving forward when playing with late leads.

They had the Bucks under control and led 106-100 with just a minute and a half to play. They failed to put them away for good and found themselves heading to another overtime game after a Tatum miss from the elbow.

Luckily for the Celtics, they regained control of the game and cruised to a relatively easy win after a late surge by Milwaukee.

It’s great for any team to win these types of games but it can be concerning when they play too many of them for a number of reasons.

The concern on the surface is how will these extra minutes affect the players. Playing higher intensity games for a full 48 minutes plus overtime is great for the fans but that can definitely take a heavy toll on the players.

Teams see it all the time when players play too many minutes, the injuries begin to pile up. It’s possible that these extra minutes have played a factor in Jaylen Brown’s hamstring injury.

Although that is not confirmed, it definitely can’t be good to play games like this too often.

It is also concerning to see a team play in too many overtime games because it means they are likely squandering late advantages or always trying to claw their way back into a game.

The Boston Celtics will more than likely stop playing in frequent overtimes, but it’s important they learn to close teams out better and shut the door on potential comebacks.