Everybody in the basketball world knows Jayson Tatum can score.
But it is his work on the defensive end that has Boston coach Joe Mazzulla smiling ahead of the Celtics’ visit to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Sunday.
Tatum exploded for 18 points in the first quarter of Friday’s 119-80 NBA Cup trouncing of the host Charlotte Hornets, before finishing with 34 — including 5-of-8 threes — to go with nine assists and eight rebounds.
Mazzulla liked Tatum’s shot selection in the first half, but was even more impressed by the six-time All-Star’s defensive example, which helped put Charlotte in a vise in the third quarter.
“Usually, to have the half that you have, it probably comes at the expense of some heat checks or some bad shots, but I don’t think he (Tatum) took one in the first half,” Mazzulla said. “The game found him. I thought he was very patient — I thought he made the right play. I thought almost every shot he took was a great shot, and he was extremely efficient.
“What I liked more was his third-quarter effort. I think at that time, even with what the score of the game was (70-39 at halftime, which became 96-57 after three), just his competing at the defensive end sets a different standard that we have to have for him … I thought his third-quarter defense was super impactful for us.”
Tatum was rested when Boston beat Milwaukee 109-102 at home last Wednesday.
Derrick White had 24 points on that occasion, and added 18 against the Hornets.
It’s been a different story for the Bucks, who are on a five-game skid after suffering a 121-107 NBA Cup loss to the visiting Toronto Raptors on Friday.
Tyler Herro (23 points, 10 assists) and rookie Brayden Burries (21 points, 11 boards) each posted double-doubles, but Myles Turner’s indifferent start to the season continued.
Turner was held scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting against Toronto and is averaging a career-low 7.6 points per game.
But despite Turner’s struggles, Milwaukee coach Taylor Jenkins wants his starting center to stay aggressive.
“You should never defer,” Jenkins said. “When you’re open, let it fly. He owned it after the game. He told his teammates, ‘I didn’t have it — it was a rough night for me. I’ve got to continue to be better and still impact the game on the defensive side.’ But I’m never going to tell a guy when you’re missing shots to not shoot it.”
Herro, who is averaging a team-best 22.3 points after being traded from the Miami Heat as part of the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, wants to see the Bucks figure out ways to stay in games defensively, even when their shots aren’t dropping.
“Basketball’s a game of runs,” he said. “We’re going to go on runs, they’re going to go on runs. But figuring out a way to rally around each other, even when shots aren’t falling, being able to stick to our habits defensively, that’s kind of been a theme for us. League-wide, when teams aren’t making shots, they don’t defend. And the best teams in this league do that.”
Boston has won seven of its past eight meetings with Milwaukee, including the last four.
