The Boston Celtics stepped foot in Wisconsin to lock horns with the formidable Milwaukee Bucks. The showdown between the top two seeded teams in the Western Conference promised to be neck-and-neck. The away team, however, had everything under control from the outset.
The Celtics blew the Bucks out of the building, winning the matchup 140-99 and handing them their second-largest home loss in franchise history. Jayson Tatum‘s 40-point outburst helped the Celtics narrow the gap at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks would have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win. However, the men in green came into town and spoiled the party. Milwaukee (55-22) now leads Boston (53-24) by only two games in the quest for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Jaylen Brown had 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the Celtics, who led by as much as 44 points in the third quarter and 49 points in the fourth. The Bucks, on the other hand, seemed to have a lid on their basket as they had an off-shooting night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 24 points in 25 minutes, going a dismal 11 of 27 from the field. Jrue Holiday was lighting it up against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday as he dropped 51 to lead his side to victory. However, staunch defense from a formidable Celtics squad limited him to only six points in 24 minutes. Khris Middleton scored 13 points in 20 minutes before leaving the game injured after Brown hit him in the mouth with his elbow while driving to the basket.
A bad night on the offensive end for the Bucks also affected their momentum on the defense as the Celtics kept firing with all guns blazing. A win for the Celtics earned them the tiebreaker as they won the season series against the Bucks 2-1.
Fans slam the Milwaukee Bucks after they got blown out on home soil
Three-point disparity doomed the Bucks as they struggled to get it going from beyond the arc the entire night. Before tonight’s loss, the Bucks had won 26 of their last 30 matchups. However, they got trounced in front of their own fans. As the fans saw their team get torched, they went ballistic on social media. Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter.
The Bucks will now want to shift their focus on the rest of the season. With the playoffs looming, they’ll hope to finish out the season strong and put this embarrassing home loss behind them.
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