© Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
What we learned from the Milwaukee Bucks' 119-116 loss to the Boston Celtics
The first duel between two Eastern Conference powerhouse teams went the way of the Boston Celtics as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 119-116, on Wednesday night. Here are a few takeaways from the highly-anticipated affair.
First-half woes
While the Bucks battled to the very end, the hole they dug for themselves in the first half proved too deep. The writing was already on the wall in the game's early goings as Milwaukee missed its first seven shots, which the Celtics took advantage of to take a 29-17 lead. The Bucks troubles finding the basket extended to the second quarter as the deficit grew to a high of 21 at 54-33 with 5:51 left in the first half.
Milwaukee's "Big 3" of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton went 7-of-30 in the first half, combining for 19 points as the Bucks trailed by 14, 67-53, at halftime. In contrast, Boston's Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis connived to score 36 points on 14-of-23 shooting in that stretch.
"Get off to better starts, which we haven't done all year yet. You see, against any team, if you start slow, it's hard to play catch up the whole game," Middleton said of their less-than-stellar start.
The first time friends faced off
The game marked the first time Jrue Holiday faced off against the team he helped win the NBA title in 2021. Before the game, the beloved guard visited the Bucks' locker room to exchange pleasantries with his former teammates.
"I was thrilled to see him," Brook Lopez said.
"It's always great to see Jrue-san. I definitely miss him. A great person, such a good friend of mine. Good to see his family as well postgame. I just wish him all the best. It was fun to compete against him tonight."
Holiday, though, did not have a productive game, as he went 1-for-8 for just five points. All his points came in the fourth, including a triple that gave the Celtics a 99-79 lead and two game-sealing free throws with 3.1 ticks left. Jrue also had eight rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a blocked shot.
