Granted, Chicago or Toronto are much more appealing first-round foes than Brooklyn, especially with Robert Williams likely missing the series. But possible. 2023 www.jsonline.com. And after a so-so early start to the season (by his standards), Embiid has picked up his play considerably on the defensive end of the floor the last few months. 8 spot in the playoffs and a matchup with the No. Had James Hardens 3-point attempt gone down before Embiids putback attempt was blocked, these teams could be flip-flopped in the standings. Miami has six games remaining in the regular season, with just two at home (they are 27-12 at home this season) and four on the road (21-16), including one back-to-back. And the depth next to Giannis is now the best its ever been. Holiday and Antetokounmpo had a dozen points each while Lopez and Portis had 11 each. The season series also is tied, and the third and final meeting between these teams isn't until March 30 in Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo is averaging 29.9 with two games to play. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. 2 seed. The NBA's Noches ne B A celebration starts in March, where teams will commemorate fans and players across Latin American and U.S. Hispanic communities. Since the Jazz own the tiebreaker, one more win or one more Denver loss would seal the No. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Thats how the two 51-31 teams wound up seeded second and third, respectively, with the Bucks getting their preferred first-round clash with Chicago while the Celtics had to face Brooklyn (a presumably tougher foe at the time). Holiday also had 29 points and handed out eight assists while Middleton scored 22 points and had nine assists. "It felt like we didnt; the one thing wed like to finish the stop. Detroit beat Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum on Jan. 3. But as our Chris Forsberg observes, there's still a lot to be sorted out ahead of the Celtics' back-to-back with the Bulls (Wednesday night) and Bucks (Thursday night). the tiebreaker goes to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Next, a pass from Smart for a turnaround jumper, followed a couple possessions later by another 3-pointer over Milwaukees Pat Connaughton. 4 if the Sixers win out. 3 Celtics and No. 2 seed with their win over Boston on Thursday night, and now lead the No. Dallas Mavericks. Celtics (43-17) at 76ers (39-19) Game #61 2/25/23. The Cavs are a net rating darling and have the profile of a team on both sides of the ball that can win it all, appearing in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. Below are five big questions that will be answered in the coming days. With just over five minutes to play, Jayson Tatum hit a mid-range jumper to put the Celtics up 101-95. The 27-year-old was signed on Feb. 16 after he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets and played in eight games for the Bucks. FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. Currently 32-18 vs. the rest of the East, that would require the defending champions to win out. And so, that's a long way of saying the Celtics would claim the No. At this rate, it would be disappointing if they didnt at least reach the championship series. We felt they beat us on winning plays, hustle plays, 50/50 balls. If the Celtics finish with the No. Toggle navigation. Jack up even more. Eastern Conference top 4 through games played on March 29. 6. Their two-way ceiling is probably higher than any other outfit in the league. Remaining games: No more games left between the teams. What is more important? Each team has two remaining games. The wing depth is actually solid, and Deandre Ayton has had great playoff moments in the past. pushes Philly a game further back and gives us the tie-breaker against them. It puts Boston at -200 to advance. The Celtics currently own tiebreakers over Milwaukee and Philly, so if they win out, the No. Milwaukee (.617) trails both Miami (.652) and Boston (.638) in conference win percentage. Massive mural by Milwaukee artist Mauricio Ramirez measures 53 1/2 feet tall x 56 1/2 feet wide, taking up the side of a 3-story building. 9:45 pm ET, at 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. A win over the Bucks on Thursday night would essentially seal the deal for Boston. First, let's examine Boston's closest competition. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds. 9:29 pm ET, at Here are the remaining schedules for the Raptors, Nets and Hawks, who are battling Brooklyn for the No. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories_live-blog, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Im sure Grayson could be better, but as a group, its really on all of us to be better coming out of the third quarter.. If KD and Chris Paul can stay healthy, its hard to see this team losing. Rotations shorten come playoff time. ET, ESPN). ET on Thursday, April 7. Muscala also put the ball on the floor and threw down a dunk early in the third quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo was fantastic for Milwaukee all night long finishing the win with a game-high 40 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three assists while Jrue Holiday made a number of clutch plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch on his way to a 24-point, eight-rebound and eight-assist performance. Despite a recent surge from Milwaukee and the continued steady play of theNuggetsout West, its Cleveland who is firmly second in net rating behind only theCeltics. Jayson Tatum scores 12 of his 46 points in the 4th quarter to send the series back to Boston for Game 7. . Celtics vs. Their tie-breaker difference in the standings is the reason Boston got homecourt advantage in this series, which now means Game 7 at TD Garden. Early in the frame, as the Celtics were threatening to pull away, the Bucks knocked down three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to stay attached. 2 seed. Boston forced overtime with a high-arcing 3-pointer from Sam Hauser. White also scored the first five points of the overtime period -- a drive to the bucket and a 3-pointer. Remaining strength of schedule: . Miami also has eyes on this race because if Brooklyn falls to No. 3 seed would be pretty important to each of these teams, as it would mean landing on the opposite side of the bracket from Phoenix, which would delay a potential matchup with the No. Rather, it was that they resorted to the methodical and predictable late-game offense that plagued them early in the season. Boston is the only team in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating. The Warriors, Mavericks, Heat and Celtics are the four remaining teams in the NBA Playoffs. 9 Charlotte (Hornets hold tiebreaker) and a 1.5 game lead on No. You can e-mail him here, findhis archive hereandfollow him on Twitter. Bembry suffered a season-ending knee injury in Golden State on March 12 and had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament on March 23. The other two: Shaquille ONeal and Wilt Chamberlain. The Heat, Bucks, Celtics and Sixers are separated by just 1.5 games with less than two weeks to play. As for the Sixers the only shot they have at the No. If he does that, and averages, say, 20 points over the final two, that would leave him at 30.1 for the season. The Celtics beat the Grizzlies 120-107 in Boston on March 3. His outside shooting, movement without the basketball and ability to play multiple positions have all proven valuable for the C's. After Antetokounmpo picked up his fourth foul with nearly 20 minutes left in the game, the Celtics got wrapped up in trying to force his fifth and, hey, maybe his sixth. Sometimes you miss shots, but that wasn't the issue for Boston. If the Celtics beat Chicago and the Raptors can win at least two of their last three, Toronto will land in the 4-5 matchup with the Bulls slotted at No. So I figured out how I can manage to get back out with the guys. Individually, there are incredibly close races for Kia Most Valuable Player, Kia Rookie of the Year and the league scoring title that are being tracked on a daily basis. 3 and Philly No. The Celtics (50-31) have one game left in Memphis on Sunday while the Bucks headed right to the airport to play Detroit on Friday and then wrap the regular season in Cleveland on Sunday for a matinee. In late January, after returning from the health and safety protocol and playing in eight straight games veteran guard George Hill appeared on the injury report with neck soreness. Despite a slow start from behind the three-point line, the Bucks dominated inside with 34 points in the paint. Just when it looked as if the game was headed for a rerun Boston opening a big lead, then watching it fizzle in the fourth Tatum flipped the script. We'll see if they really want it (and if the Bucks want it, for that matter) when the two teams take the floor in Milwaukee on Thursday night. The Celtics have the toughest schedule of any of the top four teams in the East as their remaining opponents have a combined win percentage of .548 and four of their final six games come against teams that are not just over .500, but over .600 so far this season. Nickel column:Here's why Giannis Antetokounmpo should be the NBA's Most Improved Player, More:As the NBA playoffs approach, the Milwaukee Bucks are tightening their rotation with four key players off the bench. Teams are permitted to carry only two timeouts into the final three minutes, and the Bucks coach is almost comically dedicated to not having any stripped away. Then he pulled up for a 3. He hasn't always been consistent on the offensive end, but he is a complete game-changer on defense, as he reminded everyone on Wednesday. But a series against Kevin Durant and sidekick Kyrie Irving still isn't the most appealing first-round matchup for any team, because Kevin Durant is pretty damn good. Heres how I would size up the list of contenders for the homestretch of the season. The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. After the Bucks went on a huge run between the third and fourth quarter to erase a 12-point deficit and lead 99-97 with 8:48 remaining in regulation, White scored back-to-back baskets to put Boston back ahead 101-99. Muscala was acquired by the Celtics at the trade deadline last Thursday and he's already made a strong impact in his first three games. While Dallas entered Tuesday a firm plus in their minutes, the defense has predictably not been great when the two share the floor. Bucks vs. Celtics. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. Ime Udoka on Celtics confidence: Were a basketball team, not a track team. Home court advantage is very important in the NBA playoffs, and the Celtics definitely benefited from it last season when they hosted the Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden and won. Here are the remaining schedules for the Celtics, Bucks and Sixers with all three teams sitting at 49-30. Jrue Holiday certainly believes as much, and he tried to prove it down the stretch in Game 5. 10 Atlanta (Nets hold tiebreaker). Here are three key takeaways from the game: The Bucks should have lost on Wednesday night, and 99 times out of 100 they would have considering the circumstances. Under those conditions, the Celtics will finish with a 20-13 record, the Bucks with a 17-15 record, and so the Celtics clinch the tiebreaker. The 76ers currently sit in fourth with an identical 49-30 record as the Bucks, who own the tiebreaker over Philly. Boston guard Jaylen Brown had scored at least 25 points in 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA. Other Celtics kicked themselves and mulled it over, how theyd let Milwaukee off the hook and might live to regret it. / CBS Boston. The same rule cancels out Kevin Durant, who will finish with 55 games played assuming he is active in Brooklyn's final two games. This team always seems to be battling injuries, and we have no idea when Zion Williamson will return. As it stands, the Celtics have a two-game lead over the Bucks on the secondary tiebreaker, too. If a team settles for the No. "The guys found a way to win another close game. During that stretch he averaged 28.5 points per game on 55.7% shooting. But if youre a fan of another Western Conference team, do you really want your squad responsible for trying to knock out Steph, Klay, and Draymond Green? Things to know:. Instead, the Bucks were able to hang around. section: | slug: bucks-vs-celtics-score-takeaways-milwaukee-pulls-off-fourth-quarter-comeback-to-steal-game-5-against-boston | sport: basketball | route: live_blog_single | In case of a three-way tie between Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, which remains a possibility, the tiebreaker criteria is to recognize division winners first, which would remove Philadelphia from the equation as Boston would win the Atlantic division via a better division record. The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. Eight of the Bucks' whopping 17 offensive rebounds came in the fourth quarter, and nine of their 20 second-chance points came in the frame. 1 seed and, as a result, likely play only one of the Bucks or Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. Tatum hit a fadeaway shot. 3 or No. If Cleveland beats Brooklyn it won't quite clinch the No. 9:20 pm ET, Jayson Tatum turnaround mid-range jumper: make, Jayson Tatum fadeaway mid-range jumper: miss, Jaylen Brown pull-up mid-range jumper: miss. Had a couple cortisone shots to see if itll work. The Celtics have a somewhat built-in excuse to punt the game, given it's the second leg of a back-to-back. Smart and Theis combined for 29 of the Celtics 38 points in the quarter. Since the Bucks and Celtics are tied in head-to-head series at 2-2, we have to move to the next tiebreaker. Giannis Antetokounmpo joins Shaquille ONeal and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to do this in a playoff game: 40 PTS 20 REB 5 AST pic.twitter.com/4BeNV8yzU6. No one wants defenders to be treated like bowling pins, but when they go hunting for charges, some of the games biggest stars like Antetokounmpo and Tatum are put at crazy risk. 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The list of contenders for the Sixers the only team in the league ; the one thing wed like finish... ( 39-19 ) game # 61 2/25/23 the 76ers currently sit in fourth an... Claim the No the only team in the quarter 27-year-old was signed Feb...., 2022 / 8:27 AM in Milwaukee their two-way ceiling is probably higher than any other outfit the... Celtics ( 43-17 ) at 76ers ( 39-19 ) game # 61 2/25/23 it 's the leg. Likely missing the series back to Boston felt like we didnt ; the one thing like... A high-arcing 3-pointer from Sam Hauser agree to the methodical and predictable late-game offense that plagued them in.