After a clutch victory on the street at Detroit over the weekend, the Celtics (4-0) had been again at TD Backyard on Monday evening for a matchup towards the Milwaukee Bucks (1-3). Holding an ideal 3-0 file to start out the season, the Celtics had 5 scorers in double figures and overcame a sluggish begin with a scoring avalanche within the second half for a 119-108 win.
The Celtics had been with out Sam Hauser for a 3rd consecutive recreation, whereas the Bucks, enjoying on the tail-end of a back-to-back, missed beginning ahead Khris Middleton for a fourth straight contest. In Middleton’s absence, Milwaukee turned to Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince on the wings to enhance Damian Lillard within the backcourt and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez within the frontcourt.
Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard led the way in which for the Celtics, with Brown scoring 30 on 10-of-19 taking pictures and Pritchard including 28 on 8-of-12 taking pictures from past the arc. Subsequent to them had been strong performances from Jrue Vacation (21 factors on 7/12 taking pictures) and Derrick White (13 factors, 8 assists). For the Bucks, their star duo of Dame and Giannis led the way in which, scoring a mixed 66 factors. Pritchard had a record-setting efficiency from three, tying Eddie Home for essentially the most 3-point area targets off the bench since 2009.
Averaging 39 factors within the first quarter coming into their fourth contest of the season, the Celtics began out sluggish, lacking their first seven pictures earlier than a Derrick White layup broke the drought. White then hit Boston’s first 3-pointer on the following possession, and ended up scoring the workforce’s first seven factors of the sport.
From there, extra profitable offensive possessions began to comply with, with Jayson Tatum aggressively attending to the rim for eight factors and Payton Pritchard coming off the bench so as to add one other fast eight of his personal.
Nonetheless, it was the bottom scoring first quarter of the season for the Celtics, however the Bucks fared solely barely higher, taking pictures 48% from the sphere with a mixed 22 factors between Lillard and Antetokounmpo to take a 29-28 lead after a buzzer-beating three from Trent Jr.
Pritchard continued to spice up the offense, taking on within the early minutes of the second quarter by scoring 11 straight factors with three 3-pointers, one a 34-footer off the catch on an help from White and one other from 25 ft out after Brown grabbed a rebound off his personal miss. The Celtics additionally acquired 7 factors from Brown within the quarter, who linked on three of his 4 makes an attempt from the free throw line.
The Bucks maintained their slight edge into halftime with a 56-53 rating, led by Dame’s 16 first half factors (4/9 FG), seven of which got here within the second quarter.
Exterior of Pritchard’s sizzling taking pictures, the Celtics had been simply 3-of-18 from past the arc within the first half, whereas coughing up seven turnovers.
Popping out of the halftime break, the Celtics appeared extra like themselves on each ends, hitting 4 of their first six pictures, two coming within the mid-range from Brown and one other a pick-and-pop triple from Tatum, to present the Celtics a 65-61 lead and a 12-5 benefit within the quarter’s first three minutes.
The Bucks responded proper again with a 14-5 run of their very own, however Jrue Vacation was fast to degree the rating, incomes himself an uncontested layup and a pullup 3-pointer to tie the sport at 75-75. Then, Brown took over, getting a go-ahead layup from the precise facet of the cup and going to that very same spot the subsequent possession, getting a step on Prince with a hesitation transfer to drive by means of Bobby Portis for a 79-75 lead.
The Bucks answered proper again with 5 straight factors to retake the lead, one in every of which was a technical free throw after an incorrect shot clock violation on a Vacation layup drew the ire of Joe Mazzulla. The Celtics responded with their greatest stretch to that time, when White buried a 3-pointer within the face of Giannis, then one other three on the prime of the arc, and eventually blocking a Giannis layup multi functional fast sequence.
With the sport clock winding down, Pritchard buried one more three as time expired, lifting Boston to a 90-82 lead coming into the ultimate 12 minutes.
The recent taking pictures carried over within the fourth quarter, with Brown opening with a layup and an help within the nook to Pritchard for his seventh three of the evening. One other fall away jumper from Brown gave the Celtics a 15-point lead and a 25-7 run, however the Bucks continued to maintain themselves within the recreation, drawing their deficit to inside eight with below eight minutes to play.
They wouldn’t get any nearer than that, and the Celtics closed the e book on any potential comeback, forcing Doc Rivers to filter the bench with simply over two minutes left within the recreation.
Developing later this week for Boston is an Japanese Convention Finals rematch on Wednesday with the Indiana Pacers in primetime at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
