The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the visiting Boston Celtics, 98-97, at Fiserv Forum on Thursday evening.
The Celtics got out to a solid start on the road, with a 22-20 lead after one quarter. The Bucks answered in the second, where they outscored the visitors by eight, to take a 53-47 lead into halftime. The contest slowed down again in the third quarter, where they Celtics outscored the Bucks 21-19, cutting the deficit to just four points by the start of the fourth. The Bucks held the lead through most of the fourth, until the Celtics snagged a one-point lead with 2:48 to go. However, the Bucks came up huge down the stretch, capped off by a clutch three-pointer from Khris Middleton to seal the Bucks' third straight win.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal, in 36 minutes. Khris Middleton followed up with 15 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and a steal, while Malcolm Brogdon tallied 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal. The Bucks shot 42 percent from the field, including 14-of-39 from long range.
Meanwhile, Al Horford led the Celtics with 21 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals, in 37 minutes. Kyrie Irving followed up with 22 points, five assists, two steals, two blocks and a rebound, while Jayson Tatum added 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. The Celtics shot 38 percent from the field, including 14-of-40 from deep.
The Celtics (37-22) will look to bounce back as they take on the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday. The Bucks (44-14) play host to the Timberwolves on Saturday.
