BOSTON — When the Celtics built up their commanding lead in the first half, they got a significant lift from their bench players. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla elected to go with a playoff-style eight-man rotation against the Bucks, showing some urgency for the marquee showdown between two East favorites.
As expected, the three bench players were Al Horford, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard — those three have been the consistent contributors this season. And they were all valuable for a Celtics squad where bench scoring is a question mark on a nightly basis. All three bench players scored in double-figures, combining for 31 bench points.
The Celtics as a whole hit their 3-pointers Wednesday, finishing 40.5% from beyond the arc in the 119-116 win over the Bucks. But the bench players all stepped up that department. Hauser scored 10 points on 2-for-3 3-point shooting; Pritchard had another 10 points and his 2-of-4 of his 3s; and Al Horford was 2-for-3 from 3 and put up 11 points as he also helped the C’s finish the game.
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“I just like the pace in which we play tonight and how we move the ball,” Horford said of the bench. “And I think that (Jayson Tatum) and (Jaylen Brown) did a really good job, very early identifying the double teams, the overhelp, and they made those guys pay. So they sprayed the ball. We made the right plays from that that point.”
It’s a long season, so the Celtics will need those bench players to step up at different points. Luckily, they were at full strength against the Bucks, so they didn’t need to lean on the bench too much. But when they did, those guys delivered.
Horford is a trustworthy given as he’s been the Celtic to arguably sacrifice the most as he’s accepted a bench role. But Pritchard and Hauser have had their moments this season, as well. Hauser’s been red-hot from 3-point land, shooting 44.6% from beyond the arc. Pritchard has also impressed in his role even when the 3s weren’t falling.
The Celtics took and needed all that bench production as they beat the Bucks to improve to an NBA-best 12-3 on the season. The Bucks made a furious comeback effort late, but the Celtics fended them off in Round 1 between the East powers. Hauser also got perhaps the highlight of the game as he threw down the alley-oop dunk from Brown.
“I looked at him; he looked at me,” Brown said with a smile. “And that was all the confirmation I needed. We locked eyes and I said, ‘(expletive) it.’ He looked at me like he was ready so I through it to him and he followed through. So shout out to Sam.”
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