After bouncing back from a one-seed loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics were fresh off what may have been their biggest win of the year, winning 127-120 to preserve home court. The Celtics set a team record for the most home victories to begin a season with this victory, so they had much to celebrate. Unfortunately, the NBA schedule is cruel. Jayson Tatum and company had to rekindle their rivalry of sorts with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Bucks, who had not played since Monday night, put the Celtics at a significant disadvantage given their lack of over twenty-four hours of sleep. And the way the Celtics played on the court demonstrated that. They were incredibly lethargic, particularly when it came to defense, and they were unable to establish any kind of offensive rhythm due to their worn-out legs. They clearly had their worst game of the season at the half, trailing 75-38 after trailing by a massive 37 points.

The starting lineup for the Celtics was glued to the bench when head coach Joe Mazzulla emerged from the half. Mazzulla didn’t even try to start Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the other main players for the Celtics again. When questioned why he did it, he merely reasoned that it was “what was best for the team”, as per Bobby Manning of CLNS Media.

These are only losses that can be explained by the NBA schedule’s extreme rigors. The Celtics’ supporters will be perplexed as to how their club is able to play the Bucks and Timberwolves, two of the league’s top teams, back-to-back on different days.

In addition, the Bucks were motivated after losing badly to the Utah Jazz in a blowout, which made them a formidable opponent for the Celtics. This game was a loss waiting to happen due to the circumstances surrounding it. Furthermore, Joe Mazzulla has every right to avoid pressuring his squad on a night when they lacked performance because the regular season is a marathon rather than a sprint.