Rapid Recap: Bucks 103, Celtics 117

To cap off their 4-game road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks came up short to the Boston Celtics by a 117-103 final. Fresh off a back-to-back against the Knicks yesterday, the Bucks had few answers for the Celtics, who had the weekend off. Jayson Tatum could hardly miss and finished with a season-high 42 points on a scorching 16/25 shooting (7/13 from deep). Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 20.

NBA.com Box Score

Thanks to some hot shooting, the Bucks had a 9 point lead after one which was wiped out by the Celtics in the second on the strength of seven Milwaukee turnovers. After shooting 57.1% in the first, the Bucks shot just 36.9% in the second as fatigue set in and the Celtics grabbed the lead. Boston had the edge at 51-50 going into the locker room.

Things got a bit bad in the third. No Buck had an answer for Jayson Tatum, who added 11 more. Unfortunately, those things I mentioned went from bad to worse, as they’re wont to do. Khris Middleton came down in a heap after attempting a rebound, exiting in the waning seconds of the period with an apparent knee injury (dubbed a hyperextension, per the broadcast), and would not return. Down 85-74 entering the fourth, the Bucks couldn’t cut into that lead and as the Celtics extended to as much as 18 in the closing minutes, Coach Bud waived the white flag.

We’ll cross our fingers for Middleton, whose knee (and ankle) did go left while the rest of his leg went right. Check back for updates in the coming days, but as the Bucks embark on a stretch of 5 games in 7 days, don’t expect to see him on Wednesday.

Stat That Stood Out

Truly, the only statistic that can explain how Boston was able to prevail against this exhausted Milwaukee squad is Tatum’s 42 points. Misses were few and far between for the Celtics’ star and even had the Bucks been rested, it would have been tough to stop him when he goes off like this.

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