Bucks Zone

The Milwaukee Bucks pound the Boston Celtics to end two-game slide

The Bucks led by as many as 43 points in a dominant win against the Celtics.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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Coming off a two-day break, the Milwaukee Bucks pounded an exhausted Boston Celtics squad, 135-102, and snapped a two-game slide on Thursday night.

With the one-sided win, the Bucks avoided losing three straight games for the first time this season. They also avenged their 116-119 loss to the Celtics in their first meeting on November 22nd.

Milwaukee improved to 17-4 at home and 26-12 this season to stay in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks came into the contest with fresh legs after taking a break for a couple of days. The Celtics were at the back end of a back-to-back with their home game on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves going to overtime before they prevailed, 135-102.

Milwaukee took off to a fast start

The fatigue factor was clearly evident right from the get-go as the well-rested Bucks jumped out of the starting gates en route to posting a 41-23 lead after the first quarter.

Milwaukee sustained its early charge with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis combining for 20 points in a searing 25-0 run that put the Bucks ahead by a mile at the turn, 75-38.

The Bucks outscored the Celtics in the second period, 34-15, to build the 37-point halftime cushion, which was their fourth-biggest halftime lead in franchise history.

Big night by Bobby

It was total domination by Milwaukee as it posted its biggest lead at 98-55 on a three-pointer by Portis at the 4:56 mark of the third period.

Milwaukee’s reserves were dismal in their previous outings, but Bobby finally gave the Bucks a much-needed bench production as he finished with a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds.

Antetokounmpo tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block, while Damian Lillard returned from a one-game absence to add 21 points.

Malik Beasley contributed 16 points, and Brook Lopez had 15 in just the second win of Milwaukee this month. The Bucks are now 2-4 in January after they went 11-2 in December. The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics fell to 29-9, which is still the best record in the league.

Jaylen Brown was the lone Boston starter to score in double digits with 10 points, as Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis combined for only 19 points. It was Holiday’s first game in Milwaukee since he was traded prior to the start of the season. 

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.