On Monday night, the Boston Celtics welcomed the Milwaukee Bucks to TD Garden. Fresh off a tough loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, the Bucks were looking to bounce back, but the Celtics didn’t let that happen. A back-and-forth game ended with a massive run in the third quarter, and Jordan Walsh played a huge part.
After a flurry of Derrick White buckets, Antetokuonmpo drove to the rim. White sent him packing with a big-time block, and Payton Pritchard took a massive three in transition. The shot didn’t fall, but Walsh was there to fight for the offensive rebound. He drew a foul, kept possession for Boston, and scored a put-back on the very next play.
It was a giant momentum swing that helped the Celtics continue surging forward.
Jordan Walsh sparked Celtics win over Bucks
After the game, Mazzulla spoke highly of Walsh’s impact at that moment, revealing that he spoke to the second-year wing about how important it was.
“I told that to Jordan in the locker room. I think just finding out a role and making big-time plays like that is huge,” Mazzulla said. “So, he had some defensive, I thought he had a great defensive play on Giannis in the post. Taking away his tendency and got fouled going up for an offensive rebound.
“So, I mean, you have to win games like that, especially against good teams. Sometimes it's gonna be gritty, it's gonna be ugly. So, I thought they did a good job of doing that.”
Walsh only played 12:45, and he didn’t look great in the first half. He missed two open corner threes, failing to capitalize on the chances he got. But Mazzulla went back to him, and it paid off.
He finished the game with two points and three rebounds, shooting 1-of-3 from the floor, but that one bucket was the put-back. And it meant way more than just a single basket.
With Sam Hauser sidelined, the Celtics needed to find a few extra minutes from somewhere, and Walsh gave them that.
The 20-year-old wasn’t a part of the rotation last year. He spent most of his season in Maine, and there’s a chance he’ll be in Portland for some time this year. But on Monday, the Celtics needed him, and he came through in the clutch.
Milwaukee made a couple of small runs in the final frame, but Walsh’s energy-packed spurt at the end of the third helped decide the contest. The Bucks were close to dead in the water by the time the fourth quarter came around.