The Milwaukee Bucks ended a two-game losing streak on Thursday night by defeating the Boston Celtics, 135-102, after a two-day break. The Bucks avoided dropping three straight games for the first time this season with the one-sided victory.
They also got back at the Celtics for the 116-119 defeat they suffered in their first meeting on November 22. Milwaukee maintained their second-place standing in the Eastern Conference this season with home improvements of 17-4 and 26-12.
The Bucks had taken a few days off before the game, so they were energized. After playing the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Thursday night in OT, the Celtics were coming off a back-to-back victory. They won 135–102.
The Bucks were in severe need of a solid start to a game, and that’s exactly what they got. With Damian Lillard leading the way from the start, the offence quickly settled into a rhythm. After a quarter of play, Milwaukee led 41-23 thanks to a 20-6 surge that ended the first quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis teamed for a 20-0 run in the second quarter. Ultimately, the Bucks went on a 25-0 run before Boston ended it. Due to their overwhelming 75-38 lead after two quarters, Milwaukee was able to build on this.
Boston rested all of their starters to open the second half. Given that they were back-to-back, that wasn’t a huge surprise. As one might expect, they were not going to back down on this one. Milwaukee led 111-70 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bucks had an easy ride ahead of them as the fourth quarter went by quickly, with reserves seeing the majority of the play. The Bucks won the game 135–102 in the end.
The Milwaukee Bucks VS Boston Celtics
The Bucks entered the game having lost their previous two games, 108-113 to the Utah Jazz and 116-132 to the Houston Rockets. There was more urgency coming into the game. losing four of their last five games and behind Utah by thirty points at the half.
We watched the movie. We needed to play better and we needed to be better. We had a wonderful practice yesterday and discussed areas for improvement. Giannis, who finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal, and a block, stated, “As I said, guys were more urgent today.”
With one steal, 12 rebounds, and a game-high 28 points, Bobby Portis Jr. finished first. After missing just one game, Damian Lillard returned and finished with 21 points. According to Antetokounmpo, he and Dame made an effort to be more assertive from the outset.
More significantly, Giannis noted the Bucks played excellent defence and successfully guarded the three-point line. Dame was quite assertive right from the beginning of the game, and I was attempting to back down. Giannis stated, “Defensively, we were supporting one another; we were passing in lanes and deflecting the ball.”
Knowing they were playing a team that was coming off a victory in overtime and on a back-to-back, the Bucks also launched an offensive assault from the off.
Of course, we were aware that they had played the previous evening—I believe it was an overtime match against Minnesota. Giannis remarked, “So we knew we had to come out with energy, and we did.” “The Greek Freak” claimed that both physical and emotional rest was necessary for them.
After doing horribly in their last two games, he claimed they were able to work out some kinks. Our performance in the previous two games was beneficial. We also had, I think, two days to sort of work on ourselves and take care of our bodies. That was also helpful, Giannis remarked.
Milwaukee’s season record increased to 26-12. Before heading off on a three-game road trip, they have two more home games to play. Giannis is optimistic that the Bucks will be able to sustain their excellent showing against the Celtics.
The team has to be more urgent, in my opinion. More urgency is required. To respect the opposing team, we don’t need to play well as a team. As much as possible, we have to do this every night, according to Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee was completely dominating, and at 4:56 in the third quarter, Portis’ three-pointer gave the team its largest advantage, 98-55. After a miserable performance from Milwaukee’s reserves in their prior games, Bobby finally provided the Bucks with much-needed bench output, finishing with a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds.
In addition to Antetokounmpo’s 24 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block, Damian Lillard scored 21 points in his first game back after missing one.
