Key Takeaways From Bucks-Celtics Christmas Day Game
The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are both title contenders in the Eastern Conference and they currently hold the two-best records in the NBA.
They played one another on Christmas and while they are both still title contenders, the Celtics really came to play and they proved that they are currently the best team in the entire league.
Boston dominated this game from start-to-finish and from the opening-tip, the Bucks never seemed to be in this game. Obviously some of this had to do with their own struggles and turning the ball over 15 times, but a lot of credit has to be given to Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla and his guys for stepping up and playing this game like it was a true playoff game.
Milwaukee scored the first basket of the game thanks to a Jrue Holiday layup, but from this point on, the Celtics led the rest of the way and they really pulled away from the Bucks in the third quarter, outscoring them 38-25.
Jayson Tatum once again proved why he is the favorite for MVP with 41 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, as Jaylen Brown added to his All-Star Game resume with 29 points and 5 rebounds.
Despite losing by 21 points, the Bucks are still one of the best teams in the league and this loss does not really deteriorate anything that they have built, especially since All-Star wing Khris Middleton was out.
The Celtics and the Bucks both have high title aspirations this season and while this game was lopsided, both teams still remain at the top of the NBA’s power rankings.
Here are the biggest things we learned from this game on Christmas Day.
Jayson Tatum Is The NBA’s MVP As Of Right Now
Obviously a lot of attention has been cast on Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid for MVP this season, and rightfully so given that they are all having tremendous years, but what about Jayson Tatum?
Sure, a few people may be trying to make the argument for Tatum to be the MVP, but after his performance on Christmas, there really should not be an argument right now.
Tatum is the best player on the best team in the league, the Celtics are currently leading the Eastern Conference, which is filled with high-level playoff teams, and he ranks fifth in the league in scoring, second in total points scored.
He is undoubtedly the favorite to win the MVP award right now and he absolutely should be even though we aren’t halfway through the season yet!
Jayson Tatum has completely evolved his game and he has gone from being a key scoring talent during his first couple of seasons in the league to being in a class with the best-of-the-best this league has to offer.
Scoring-wise, Tatum can explode for 40-plus points, as he is currently tied for the league-lead in 40-point games this season with six games, and Tatum has really improved as a versatile defender and rebounder as well.
This really shouldn’t be an argument right now, as Tatum has very clearly proven that he is the player to beat out for the MVP award this season.
Milwaukee Did Not Have Khris Middleton
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday can win games and possibly win the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference with the supporting cast they have around them, but one key factor that was and has been missing for the Bucks most of this season is All-Star wing Khris Middleton.
Originally out to begin the year due to offseason wrist surgery, Middleton has missed the team’s last five games as a result of a knee injury.
Middleton is not expected to miss much more time, but his value is immense and that was proven in this game against the Celtics.
Having the ability to be a 20-point scorer offensively next to Giannis, Middleton is also an above-average defender that has the strength and length to guard players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston.
Who knows, maybe the Celtics still win this game, but it is hard to imagine Tatum scoring 40 points on Khris Middleton and without seeing Milwaukee play Boston at full-strength, it is really hard to compare these teams to each other.
Saying that the Bucks were without Middleton is something that is very obvious to point out, but it is necessary to do so simply because of how valuable Khris Middleton is to the Milwaukee Bucks.
With him on the floor, they have a real shot at winning a title and they proved this back in 2021 when they defeated the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
If you are a fan of the Bucks, this loss definitely hurts, but there is truly nothing to worry about.
Marcus Smart Limiting Turnovers Changes Boston’s Offense
You can point to a lot of things that the Celtics are doing differently this season that have made them a better team.
Jayson Tatum is being more aggressive and hunting his shots offensively, Boston is shooting the basketball at a higher percentage and at a higher rate from deep as a team, Malcolm Brogdon is giving this team production off-the-bench, etc.
Perhaps one of the most important factors that is going severely under notice is the fact that Marcus Smart has quietly been one of the best point guards and passers in this entire league.
Smart currently ranks seventh in the league in total assists (221), ninth in assists per game (7.4) and his assist-to-turnover ratio is the best it has been in years.
Recording 221 assists and 68 turnovers to this point in the year, Smart’s assist-to-turnover ratio is currently around 3.3:1, which is definitely above the league average and his personal average through the years.
In this game against Milwaukee, Smart had 8 assists and just one turnover, marking the third time in the last four games that he has had at least 7 assists with one or zero turnovers.
Marcus Smart is playing smart, he is being unselfish and most importantly, he has fully embraced the role of being a leader for this team both emotionally and through his play with the ball in his hands.
If Boston is to get back to the NBA Finals, Smart will continue to play a large part in their success on both ends of the floor.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
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