Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Summer League Final: Lots of Weird Stuff Happened

Honestly, the fourth quarter of this game was such a series of ludicrous reffing displays of point-swapping, missed goaltends and prayers answered for the Boston Celtics, I hereby decree it is okay for Milwaukee Bucks fans to confidently say the league has rigged it for the Shamrocks — who took home a 111-109 win. Salt, meet wound.

A first quarter that started with MarJon Beauchamp airballing a triple attempt subsequently ended with him banking in a prayer to snag a 24-22 lead for Milwaukee. Bud scowled at home throughout the second period, as the Celts dominated the offensive glass and pushed themselves ahead 52-44 by half. An offensive onslaught in the third — 39 points in ten minutes — gave the Bucks an 83-80 lead heading into the final period. A back-and-forth fourth between both teams finished with an exclamation point by Sandro Mamukelashvili, who dunked home an absolute poster on the final possession to secure what I thought was the victory — before the refs inexplicably swapped the point totals in the waning minutes to give Boston the lead. After Wigginton hit a free throw to give the Bucks back the lead, Boston threw up a hail mary triple that banked in to give Boston the W.

NBA.com Box Score

Bonus Bucks Bits

• Mamu looked more comfortable in this one even if he had his fair share of gaffes still, but he frequently beat Boston on the block, made a few more passing reads like we saw last year, showed off his ability to get a shot off quickly and even off-balance while tallying a few blocks at the rim too. He tallied 28 points, nine boards, two assists, three steals and two blocks.

• Baker scripted the first play for MarJon to come off a DHO from Vildoza through two screens to try and get to the rim. He actually made a decent read drawing a help defender and kicking to Rayjon Tucker in the corner. Beauchamp ended with 15 points and three boards.
• We got to see our first glimpse at Beauchamp in transition when he stripped a Celtic driver and got a kickout from Mamu as he sprinted down the floor. He ended up getting blocked while trying to finish through a two-on-one but he certainly knew to start sprinting.
• Iverson Molinar got his first stint of action as a Buck in this one. He was quiet initially but actually had a solid solo creation to start the second driving into the lane and completing an and-one. There wasn’t much more to spot from him, but he certainly had more wiggle to him than Hugo Besson. I couldn’t see confirm whether Besson was flown back to the New Zealand Breakers following the game one buzzer.
• I got an immense amount of pleasure watching Mamu post up the former Golden Eagle Sam Hauser and finish through him with ease.
• The MarJon 3-ball will be a work in progress folks, two airballs in one half ain’t just wind.
• We had a #DunkerSpotMarJon sighting in this one, with him camping out left of the basket, snagging a pass from Hernandez and using a pumpfake and reverse lay-in to finish it out.
• Lindell Wigginton continued to look among the most comfortable out of anyone on the Bucks roster in this game, even with six turnovers. I have no clue if he’ll ever have a future, but he was confident pulling up and fights enough on defense to get around screens. He finished with 24 points, five boards and five assists.
• Salute to MarJon for passing up not one man asking for a pass (Rayjon), not two men asking for the ball (Luca), but three teammates (finally, Mamu) asking for the ball on a possession and instead driving before the defense could get set for an and-one opportunity in the third.

• I missed the Mamu coast-to-coast experience as he’s struggled a bit to get into the lane or lead the break during this Summer League. He sprinted from one baseline to another in the third for an and-one and followed it up again on a steal. It’s easy to get caught up in how he can get pushed around down low by the likes of Kabungele at his size, but it is pretty impressive how quickly he can move with a solid handle for someone who is nearing seven feet.
• I’m not sure what member of Vin Baker’s staff got in AJ Green’s ear after he started 4-4 from three and reminded him that he wears a Bucks jersey, but he’s been now 0-9 since that hot start.
• Apparently the refs mixed up the scores of this game repeatedly and flip-flopped point totals several times throughout the fourth quarter. Summer League!