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The Milwaukee Bucks rolled into TD Garden on Wednesday without Giannis Antetokounmpo to face the Boston Celtics. Milwaukee’s franchise cornerstone was ruled out just hours before the game due to a sore hamstring, his second straight game to sit out. Bobby Portis, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton were all available for the showdown.
Boston had a quick start in the first few minutes behind Jayson Tatum and Derrick White but the visitors recovered to make it close. Middleton and Beverley led the Bucks' first-quarter output. Milwaukee trailed 33-28 after the first 12 minutes ended.
Payton Pritchard came off the bench to give the Boston Celtics a big boost. His energy, hustle on both ends of the floor and shooting pushed the visitors' leads to 18 in the second quarter. The 6-foot-2 Pritchard's rebound over the 7-foot Brook Lopez had the crowd on its feet.
After a 10-point first period, Jayson Tatum added 13 more in the second frame to lead all scorers with 23. Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard combined for 26 points while Patrick Beverley contributed nine off the bench. Boston carried a 69-56 advantage going into the halftime break.
Jayson Tatum was held scoreless in the third quarter but Jaylen Brown took over, scoring 13 of his 19 points in the said period. Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard contributed to Boston's cause as well.
Damian Lillard sustained his impressive play but got little support from his teammates. Bobby Portis converted a few baskets along with "Pat Bev." The Bucks trailed 101-83 with the fourth quarter underway.
The Milwaukee Bucks refused to quit without their two-time MVP. They mounted two 11-0 runs in the final quarter to cut down the Boston Celtics' lead. Bobby Portis' triple with 2:14 seconds left made it 110-107.
Jayson Tatum, who hadn't scored in the second half, racked up four straight points to give the home team a little breathing room. Damian Lillard's 3-pointer and Bobby Portis' drive inched the Bucks closer to 116-114. Portis agonizingly missed a free throw to keep the score steady.
Jaylen Brown's two free throws gave the Boston Celtics a 118-114 advantage with time down to 20.3 seconds. Lillard missed a layup in the next possession with Brown draped all over him. Tatum's two free throws made it 120-114.
Two more free throws by Jayson Tatum and a Damian Lillard 3-pointer settled the final score at 122-119. The Boston Celtics got a big scare from the Milwaukee Bucks before eking out a home win.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Boston Celtics game player stats and box scores
Milwaukee Bucks game player stats
Boston Celtics game player stats
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard 3-pointers tonight
Jayson Tatum's fiery-hot start included a 4-for-5 clip in the first half tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jaylen Brown added one triple in two attempts.
Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton combined to hit 3-for-5 during the same stretch.
Tatum and Brown ended the night tallying 6-for-11 in 3-pointers tonight. Middleton and Lillard almost rallied the Bucks to a stunning win behind superb shooting from deep. Milwaukee's stars finished 8-for-13 from long range.
