An harm to Giannis Antetokounmpo robbed Wednesday night time’s showdown between the 2 prime groups within the Japanese Convention of a few of its intrigue on Wednesday night time. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks met for the third time this season, however the Bucks’ MVP candidate ahead missed his second consecutive sport and fifth of the season. The Greek Freak’s absence didn’t rob the competition of drama, nonetheless, because the Bucks rallied from a 21-point Boston lead within the fourth quarter and introduced the sport inside a single possession within the closing minutes, earlier than clutch play from the Celtics secured the 122-119 win.
Jayson Tatum led the best way with 31 factors on 9-of-19 capturing, and Derrick White added 23 of his personal. Elsewhere, the trio of Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis and Payton Pritchard rounded out the Boston offense for the night time with 57 factors mixed. For the Bucks, Dame Lillard and the not too long ago returned Khris Middleton carried the scoring load with 32 and 22 factors, respectively, whereas Bobby Portis loved an enormous fourth quarter and tallied 24 factors and 15 rebounds in complete.
With the Bucks shorthanded, the Celtics raced out to a powerful begin this night behind a sizzling opening body from Tatum and White. The duo posted the 2 main scoring traces of the primary quarter, scoring 10 and 11 factors apiece, and Boston constructed a lead as excessive as 11 factors within the opening minutes of the sport. The Bucks rallied again, nonetheless, counting on Middleton. Enjoying in his second sport since mid-February, the 32 yr previous ahead scored eight first quarter factors, and a balanced offensive effort from the Bucks stored the sport inside vary. The Celtics led 33-28 coming into the second quarter.
The Celtics deployed a notable twist of their rotation tonight, bringing Xavier Tillman off the bench as a part of their first lineup change of the sport. Tillman’s minutes have fluctuated since becoming a member of the crew on the Commerce Deadline, because the crew has most regularly opted to deploy him within the absence of the Porzingis/Horford beginning duo. Within the first half tonight, although, coach Joe Mazzulla pivoted to bigger lineup appears, working double bigs regularly and even pairing Tillman with Luke Kornet early within the second. Tillman acquitted himself nicely, answering Milwaukee’s challenges by corralling their ball-handlers defensively off of switches.
The Celtics’ different early bench contributor made his presence identified early within the second quarter. Payton Pritchard was at his Energizer Bunny finest this night, juicing the Boston offense with some electrical shotmaking from the bounce. He scored 13 factors within the first half — 10 within the second quarter — and alongside continued brilliance from Tatum, the Celtics started to open a major lead over Milwaukee. Boston led by as many as 18 factors, and after withstanding a late Bucks run, entered the halftime break with a 69-56 lead.
Momentum tilted in Milwaukee’s favor because the third quarter started. The Bucks linked on three consecutive threes within the early minutes within the quarter, as soon as once more trimming the Boston lead all the way down to single digits. The Celtics weathered the storm, nonetheless, pushing the Bucks again into the double-digit vary behind a balanced offensive assault. Because the quarter wore on, the Celtics labored their method again into the driving force’s seat. The lead reached as excessive as 21 factors, and so they entered the ultimate body with a 18-point edge, 101-83.
Within the early minutes of the fourth, Milwaukee as soon as once more trimmed into the Boston lead. After Pritchard opened the quarter along with his fifth three of the sport, the Bucks rattled off a 9-0 run to drag themselves again inside 12 factors of the Celtics and immediate a Mazzulla timeout. The Bucks prolonged their run to 11-0 popping out of the timeout, however White lastly broke it with a deep three-pointer. As Bucks coach Doc Rivers took a timeout, the Celtics led by 13 with 7:20 remaining.
White answered a Lillard three-pointer with certainly one of his personal within the ensuing possessions after play resumed. After that, protection started to take over a sport that had in any other case been dominated by scoring. The groups exchanged block photographs — one by White, one by Pat Connaughton — and the following practically two minutes of sport time noticed simply two factors scored, on a tip-in by Connaughton. After a failed Boston problem, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis went on a private 5-0 run and Brown missed a pair of free throws, and abruptly, the Celtics had been clinging to only a six-point lead with simply over three minutes to play.
Portis’ private run superior to 8-0 after a Mazzulla timeout, chopping the Celtics’ lead down to a few factors. He missed a warmth examine on the following possession, nonetheless, and Tatum drew a foul on the rim and made a pair of free throws earlier than changing on a layup to revive the Boston result in seven — Tatum’s first factors of the second half of the sport, in actual fact. Lillard transformed on a two and a 3, nonetheless, and Portis added a bucket to convey the Bucks inside two factors with simply 32.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
Needing a defensive cease, the Bucks put Brown on the road, and this time, he transformed on each of his free throws. Rivers took a timeout with 20.1 on the clock, however on the following possession, Lillard couldn’t discover paydirt on a layup try. The Celtics corralled the rebound and the Bucks had been pressured to play the foul sport, placing Tatum on the free throw line to lastly ice the sport.
Subsequent up, the Celtics will journey to Detroit for a Friday night time matchup with the Pistons at 7 PM EST on NBC Sports activities Boston.
