The Boston Celtics (6-2) were able to hold their ground in the final phase and thus ended the winning streak (previously 7-0) of Milwaukee Bucks. Eric Bledsoe failed at the free-throw line, while the Celtics let it rain from outside.
The last undefeated team in the league met the top favourites of the Eastern Conference, with Boston having to make do without Jaylen Brown. The shooting guard had injured his right foot and was missing just like Daniel Theis (foot injury). Brad Stevens reacted with a surprise: Semi Ojeleye stood in the Starting Five to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo, similar to the last time in the playoffs.
The beginning was hectic, marked by some mistakes and good defense of both teams. The biggest highlight in the initial phase was a spinmove by Giannis, with the speed of a guard he danced past the defender and scored with full hardness. But Boston got the better start, Celtics took a quick 9-point lead, although the efficiency of both teams could be improved.
Also at the beginning of the second quarter the scoring was difficult for the teams, but Giannis became much stronger now and put up 10 points in the quarter. Kyrie Irving found more and more his rhythm and sank two threes at the end of the first half. Both teams now came offensively much more to the train and delivered themselves an open exchange of blows.
This continued after the break, but now with more and more advantages for the Celtics, who were slowly getting hot, led by Irving and Jayson Tatum of Downtown. Suddenly the arena was boiling when Aaron Baynes (5) sunk the 18th triumvirate for the Celtics and Marcus Morris added two more. 20 threesomes in one game was a new record for the franchise.
The Bucks did not let up, started a 12:0 run at the beginning of the last quarter and brought themselves up to a Play. However, Tatum reacted immediately with another hit from downtown. Giannis had to continue attacking the basket to keep his team in the game, the 23-year-old also succeeded and he scored more points on the free-throw line (7/11 FT).
The Celtics, however, quickly increased their triple yield to 24 and regained some air. Apparently, however, the marksmanship also rubbed off on Khris Middleton, who hit nothing at all before, but now hit two balls in a row from outside. Instead of Giannis, Middleton (16) took the lead from the Bucks and continued to attack. So a really wild final phase developed.
Malcolm Brogdon (16) brought the Bucks up to 2 points to the Celtics by layup, which hit nothing more. Horford missed, but Giannis couldn’t score either and missed on the board. Only 17 seconds left, the Bucks had to foul, Tatum got the ball, but Giannis caught it with his fingers and it flew into Bledsoe’s hands.
This was immediately sent to the line by Tatum (12), but missed the first attempt. 113:112 for Boston and another 13 seconds, now the Celtics had ball possession again. A pass to Irving (28 points, 7 assists), this was sent directly back to the line and transformed both safely. Further attempts of Antetokounmpo (33 points, 11 rebounds) did not bring anything more, Horford (18 points, 8 assists) finally scored the last points of the game at the free-throw line.
Now the last undefeated team of the league has been defeated. Milwaukee (7-1) still shares 1st place in the Eastern Conference with Toronto. The Celtics are in third place.
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks 117:113 (BOXSCORE)
Kyrie Irving. The Point Guard was really hot at the end of the first half and led the offensive takeover of his team. He contributed six to the 24 successful Celtics threeers and finished the game with 28 points and 7 assists. In addition, he transformed the important free throws at the end and thus secured the victory. The little crisis is apparently over with the new haircut.
Eric Bledsoe. A largely inconspicuous performance by the 28-year-old. In just 33 minutes he scored only 13 points in 3/9 attempts from the field. His defense left a lot to be desired, but especially the final phase gave him this place. When it came down to it, he missed an important free-throw and couldn’t score on the board either.
Brad Stevens apparently gave his team the right instructions at halftime. They were able to win many free threesomes and keep the Bucks at a distance for a long time. The new Celtics franchise record reflects his performance and that of the team. He always managed to have enough throwers on the field and put the bucks under pressure.