Celtics reflect on squandered opportunity to win Game 5 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, how to approach Game 6

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all had plenty to say about letting the game slip through their fingers — and whether they can win the series.

“We gave it away,” said Boston Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown after the team’s disheartening 110-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. “That’s how we lost it.”

“Give credit to Milwaukee, they played hard for 48 minutes. We played hard, but we weren’t as purposeful as we needed to be down the stretch,” added the Georgia native, alluding to the Celtics’ fourth-quarter collapse, which saw several defensive lapses — several while jawing at referees — result in open looks for the Bucks, which let Boston’s opponent dig their way back from a 14-point deficit to win the game on a Jrue Holiday block on Marcus Smart.

“It cost us,” he added. “We’ve got to be the smarter team, and do what works. We went away from that at times.”