The second-most points on Christmas by a Celtic was scored by Jayson Tatum, who had 41 in a win. There is a time and a place for it.
A marquee Christmas Day game featuring the two teams with the best records in the league was turned on its head by the Boston Celtics, who got a 41-point performance from Jayson Tatum.
In the first half, Boston held a one-point lead before the third quarter began. He stayed on the court for the entire period and shot 7-of-10 from the field.
The Celtics scored the most points by a team on Christmas Day in 25 years in their victory over Milwaukee.
It is enjoyable. It's enjoyable to play on national TV and on Christmas. Those are enjoyable. It increases your level of play when you play against the other best players. The game that you like to play is the competition. You are probably in the wrong profession if you can't get up for those games.
The Celtics and the Bucks played on Christmas Day last year, with the Celtics winning despite 25 points from Jaylen Brown. Boston prevailed with a dominant Game 7 victory at home in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals, and this was the first time these two teams have faced each other this season.
In those playoffs, the Celtics used a similar formula.
The defense of the Celtics made it hard for Antetokounmpo to score. Boston limited Antetokounmpo's touches in the paint and he shot just 2-of-8 from the field.
"That is what you need with a guy like that," Horford said. We were matched up with him at some point and he was a two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award. One of the strengths of our group is that we have a lot of guys that are capable.
On the other side of the floor, the Celtics set screens to force Milwaukee into switches that resulted in one of them being forced to guard the other team's stars. In the second half, Boston shot 9-of-11 with the two primary defenders being Connaughton and Allen.
It helped the Celtics win their second game in a row.
It felt good to get back to playing the way we know how to do. It's a long season and there are going to be good stretches and bad stretches. It's important to not let the bad ones get in the way of getting back on track. When we make shots, it makes a difference.
The NBA's five-game Christmas Day slate had the highest- scoring total through four games, with 41 points by Tatum. Over the past decade, it was tied for the most by an NBA player on the holiday. James Harden had a landing on41.
It was the second highest scoring Christmas game in Celtics history. The man scored 45 in 1961.
It is an honor. I've said many times how much I love being here and what it means to play on Christmas -- sixth year in a row and something I never want to take for granted. "As a kid, it was part of the tradition to eat, be with family, watch all the games and imagine myself playing out there one day." I can now do that.
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