Celtics open big lead, hold on to beat Bucks without Giannis, 122-119

BOSTON (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley made a spin switch throughout the lane, floated a jumper over Boston’s Luke Kornet after which headed once more on safety in a crouch, holding his hand a few inches above the bottom to mock the Celtics coronary heart.

Too small?

No, too rapidly.

Irked by the insult to his teammate, Payton Pritchard erupted for 10 elements throughout the quarter, matching the entire Bucks output and serving to the Celtics open an unlimited lead sooner than holding on for a 122-119 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday evening time.

“It type of lit a fireplace beneath me,” acknowledged the 6-foot-1 Pritchard, who had 19 elements and 6 rebounds — most of it throughout the second quarter, when Boston turned a five-point lead into an 18-point cushion. “He’s making an attempt to clown one amongst our teammates. So I positively took it a little bit of personally.”

Jayson Tatum scored 31 elements for Boston, which took good thing about the absence of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to win its seventh straight sport. The Celtics have not misplaced to an Jap Conference workforce at residence all season.

Derrick White had 23 elements and eight assists, whereas Jaylen Brown accomplished with 21 elements and eight boards for Boston.

Damian Lillard scored 32, along with a 3-pointer throughout the remaining second. Bobby Portis had 24 elements and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who had acquired two in a row.

Although the game featured two East division leaders, the Celtics keep an 11-game edge over the second-seeded Bucks throughout the race for home-court profit. One other juice throughout the matchup was misplaced when Antetokounmpo was dominated out for the second straight sport with a left hamstring downside.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged the game wasn’t basically a playoff preview.

“Nothing’s assured in life,” he acknowledged. “We would even see them; they may see us; we couldn’t. You not at all know what’s going to happen. I do know every teams are creating an id and there’s clearly a DNA there that every teams have. Nonetheless you don’t want to overthink points. And in addition you don’t take one thing as a right.”

It was 10-all when the Celtics scored 13 of the following 15 elements to open an 11-point lead. The Bucks decrease it to 2 sooner than the tip of the first quarter, nevertheless Boston used a 21-8 run – with 10 elements coming from Pritchard — to make it 56-38.

Pritchard moreover had in all probability probably the most rebounds (4) and assists (three) throughout the quarter.

“Everybody on a regular basis had talked about his capturing,” Mazzulla acknowledged. “Nonetheless I consider this 12 months, significantly, he’s been impacting by his rebounding, impacting by his safety, his tempo. He’s merely becoming a extraordinarily well-rounded participant who’s conscious of he can have a optimistic affect on the game in many alternative strategies, and it’s an unlimited asset for us.”

Pritchard moreover fired up the gang when he took an offensive board away from Brook Lopez, a participant a full foot taller. Aggravated, the 7-foot-1 coronary heart pushed him away in disgust.

Pritchard celebrated by flexing his muscle teams and slapping fingers with Kristaps Porzingis; Tatum waved his arms to encourage the gang, which rose to supply Pritchard a standing ovation.

“Solely a profitable play,” Pritchard acknowledged. “He’s a 7-footer and I’m 6-foot — you already know, little throughout the NBA regular. I’m solely a competitor.”

Boston led by as many as 21 elements nevertheless the Bucks didn’t get inside single digits until the last word minutes, after they scored 10 straight elements — eight of them, along with back-to-back prolonged 3-pointers, from Portis — to indicate a 13-point lead proper right into a one-possession sport.

Nonetheless Portis missed a 3, Tatum hit a pair of free throws after which the Celtics star drove for a layup to make it 114-107 with 1:38 to play.

Antetokounmpo moreover missed the Bucks’ 140-129 residence victory over Phoenix on Sunday. He has missed 5 video video games this season; Milwaukee is 3-2 with out him.

The Greek star, 29, ranks third throughout the NBA in scoring (30.8), sixth in rebounding (11.2) and fifteenth in assists (6.4) this season.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host Brooklyn on Thursday evening time.

Celtics: At Detroit on Friday evening time.

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