Bucks’ Win Over Celtics Sets Mark For Fewest Free Throws, With Two, Total

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 104-91 on Tuesday, but they don’t have too much to be excited about as Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game at the 3:37 mark in the third quarter with an apparent calf strain. Later, the team announced it was indeed a left soleus strain in the calf, and the two-time NBA MVP will undergo an MRI to diagnose the severity of the injury, as we relayed here.

Before exiting, Giannis made the only free throw of the entire game between both teams, on two attempts, a record-low. That is, the refs certainly “let the players play,” as the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to shoot zero free throws in a game; the Bucks only committed four fouls, which is also the least amount ever recorded. 

Before Tuesday, the Celtics, who have the NBA’s best record and best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA, had previously been 25-1 when holding the opposing team under 105 points (Nuggets-102 vs. Celtics- 100, January 19). Not only that, but also there have only been four games this season where the Celtics let an opposing team shoot above 53% from the field. The Bucks now have three out of four of those games after shooting 53.1%, while the Celtics shot 39.8%. 

If the game couldn’t get any more strange, Patrick Beverley was the Bucks’ leading scorer Tuesday night, compiling 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field (4-of-8 3-PT). In addition, it was only the second 20-point double-double of his career, as he also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. To point out, the only other time Beverley scored over 20+ points this season was also against the Celtics on December 1, when he dropped 26 (tied career-high). 

Antetokounmpo finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists before getting injured. 

“Any time you see one of your teammates go down, it’s I think a real level of concern,” Bucks guard Damian Lillard told NBA reporters. “And then for it to be your best player, the most important part of our team, at this point in the season, it was like an, ‘Oh, damn’ moment, especially because there was nobody else around.”

With a win, the Bucks split the season series with the Celtics 2-2, as Boston remains atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 62-17 record. Milwaukee is the second seed with a 48-31 record. Following the victory, coach Doc Rivers also expressed worry, and when asked the amount of concern he had, the coach responded, “High, I would say that… He’s Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. We’re just going to hope for the best.”

With the playoffs beginning in 10 more days, the status of Antetokounmpo’s injury will be heavily monitored, as the results of the MRI will be met with much anticipation.