Recap: Celtics Ride Hot Shooting, Top Bucks 122-114
AP Photo | Aaron Gash
Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Marcus Smart went 7-10 from the 3 point line and scored 23 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 112-114.
Kemba Walker added 21 points and Jaylen Brown had 18 points. The Celtics shot 22-47 (46.8%) from the three-point line as they snapped the Bucks’ eight-game win streak.
Kris Middleton led Milwaukee with 19 points, Jrue Holiday had 17, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16, and Donte DiVincenzo had 13. The Bucks did not have any player reach the 20 point plateau tonight.
Boston carried over their momentum from Wednesday’s loss by coming out of the gate determined to change tonight’s outcome. Walker had 10 first-quarter points, Tatum had 8, and Brown scored 6 as the Celtics took a 32-26 advantage into the second period.
Walker and Tatum continued their hot shooting as the Celtics went up 41-33. Smart hit two three-pointers and had 8 points in the period and the Celtics took a 65-30 lead into halftime.
Boston took charge in the third period making 9 three-pointers en route to a 43-point quarter - their second-highest of the season. Tatum had 3 three-pointers as he scored 16 points in the frame. Smart also hit 3 of them and scored 11 points as the Celtics ended the period with a 103-87 lead.
Brad Stevens emptied the bench once the Celtics got the advantage to 121-103 with 3:08 remaining. The Bucks went on an 11-1 run to get to the final score. Boston’s hot shooting night led them to the much-needed win. They’ll be back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
