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No collapse was in the cards for the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, as they took down the surging Boston Celtics 106-102. Milwaukee trailed Boston after the first quarter concluded, 31-26. The Bucks battled back in the second, using a seven point scoring advantage to lead 58-56. An offensively inept third period for both teams still finished with Milwaukee ahead 79-71. Boston made a late push, but the Milwaukee Bucks were able to hold them off for a surprising win.
Milwaukee nabbing a win against a hot team - even without their star player - is worthy of celebration for this squad. If they have any hope for a resurgent playoff performance, they need to find a level of consistency that’s eluded them all year long. Tonight was a decent blueprint, with Giannis commanding the ball and his teammates playing efficiently on lower usage than Milwaukee’s superstar.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stuffed the box score after leaving Sunday’s contest by fouling out. With 29 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, he came through with an all-around performance against the sticky defense of Boston. They did force him into an 11 for 22 night from the field overall though.
Giannis’ running mates may not have exploded scoring-wise, but they were a relatively efficient trifecta from the field tonight. Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Jabari Parker went a combined 20 for 32 from the field tonight for 50 points. Middleton nearly notched a triple double too with 20 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
For Boston, Jaylen Brown led all their scorers with 24 points tonight. Milwaukee forced Marcus Morris into 4/16 shooting from the field while Jayson Tatum went for 20 points for the evening. Moose’s revenge never quite came to fruition, ending with just nine points and 10 rebounds.
Stat that Stood Out
30.4% 3-point percentage - Not only did Milwaukee force Boston into seven less attempts than their season average from behind the arc, but Boston also shot just 30.4%, well below their 38% mark for the year. Milwaukee was quite poor as well from deep (5-20), but they offset that with a powerful night in the paint at 66 points.