Celtics 102 - 135 Bucks summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA

Thansis is a modern day human victory cigar, and he made sure to ignite the Fiserv Forum and his brother on the sidelines with a few big plays including this monster block in the 4th quarter. 

With the game over in the second quarter it was just a matter of time before the Bucks put their bench guys in and AJ Green was one of the Bucks that took most advantage of his rare minutes. 

Malik Beasley leds the league in 3 point percentage and he got into the mix on Thursday night. He had 16, going 4/8 from three point range. 

Lillard had 21 in his return to action after missing the Bucks last game against the Jazz due to injury as the Bucks stretched the lead to 38 before the half. They would get it over 40 in the second half as the Celtics sat their starters coming out of the halftime break. 

Portis and Giannis had 20 straight points combined, as the Bucks went on a 25-0 run from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the second quarter as Milwaukee stretched the first half lead out to 36. 

Bobby Portis had one of the best games of his Bucks career, posting a game high 28 points, hitting 5/6 threes. 

Lillard came out and dropped two three balls and had 10 points in the first quarter as the Bucks led by double digits in the snap of the fingers. 

The Bucks had two night off before coming into their battle against the Celtics in a matchup of the top two teams in the East. Boston was coming off of an OT win over the Timeberwolves the night before and it showed. Milwaukee came out hot from the start and never slowed down. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

THE BUCKS WIPE OUT THE CELTICS BY 33 IN MILWAUKEE!!!

Thanasis on a strong drive from the left side and he finishes with the right hand. 

Stevens on the slam off the Banton dump off. 

LIvingston lays it in with right hand. 

Prichard with the floater and he's got 14 in the 4th. 

Payne drills the mid range jumper off the dribble. 

Dump off from Green to Thanasis and he finishes with the jam. 

Pritchard gets the lay up in transition to drop. 

Pritchard to the line after the foul on Thansis and he hits both FTs. 

Green making the most of his minutes, hitting another three and gets the foul! FT is good to complete to the four point play!

Queta goes strong to the rack and finishes with a flush. 

Green answers back with a three ball of his own from the top of the key. 

Pritchard drills a three ball on the step back from the top of the key. 

Thanasis with a reverse lay up underneath. 

Green with a lay up down the lane after the up and under. 

Pritchard to the line after the foul on Thansis and he hits both FTs. 

Stevens got fouled by Green and he hits both FTs. 

Thanasis just came into the game and he was T'd up for a flop, Hauser drops the FT. 

Brissett with a strong drive and a nasty slam down the lane. 

Brissett to the line after the foul on Portis and he hits one of two FTs. 

Portis drops another three ball, his fifth of the game and he's got 28!

Pritchard gets into the lane and he hits the short jumper over Jackson. 

Payne drills the step back from the elbow. 

Brissett hits both FTs after the foul on Jackson. 

Hauser drills the three ball from the top of the key. 

Banton drills the three ball to start the quarter, and it's safe to say we are done seeing the starters on both teams tonight. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER AND THE BUCKS ARE LEADING BY 41!!!

Portis on the fade away mid range jumper from the right wing. 

Hauser steps into a three ball and drills it off the Banton assist. 

Payne drills the three ball from the top of the key and that's his first bucket after coming off of concussion protocol. 

Brissett to the line after the foul on Jackson, and he hits both FTs. 

Portis on the turnaround jumper from the baseine! He's got 23 on the night!

Portis spinning off the dribble and gets the finish off the crystal. 

Queta on the tip in after the Banton miss. 

Connaughton gets the roll on the floater in the lane. 

Connaughton on the foul sending Mykhailiuk to the line where he hits one of two. 

Timeout with under three to go in the 3rd quarter!

Prtichard on the drive, finish and the foul! FT is good to complete the three point play. 

Giannis on the finish in the lane after the feed from Connaughton. 

Banton to the line and he hits one of two. 

Mykhailiuk answers back with a three ball of his own!

Portis drops a three ball from the corner and he's got 4 triples on the night. 

Brissett goes to the rack and finishes strong at the iron. 

Lillard to the line after the foul on Banton and he hits both FTs. 

Mykhailiuk hits the jumper from the elbow. 

Beasley drills the three ball after Lopez drags down the offensive board!

Hauser makes the technical FT after the defensive three second call. 

Triple try from Beasley on the left wing!

Giannis lobs it up over the top for Lopez on the alley oop slam. 

Mykhailiuk drills the three ball on the right wing and the C's are on an 8-0 run. 

Timeout Bucks with under 8:00 to go in the third quarter. 

Pritchard to the line after the foul on Lopez and he drops both FTs. 

Pritchard drills the wide open three ball from the left wing. 

Giannis hitting the boards and gets the put back jam. 

Lob from Middleton to Lopez who taps it in on the alley oop. 

Hauser hits the Tech FT after the defensive three seconds call. 

Lillard drops the step back jumper from the top of the key. 

Hauser drills the three ball from the top of the key!

Giannis to the line after a foul on Kornet and he his both FTs and the lead is up to 41!

WE ARE BACK IN PLAY FROM MILWAUKEE. 

Lopez starts the half with a lay up from the right side. 

Giannis leads all scorers with 18 poins, and has 8 rebounds to go along with his 3 assists, while Lillard has 17, 4 and 4. MIL is shooting 57% from the field and 11/22 from DT. The Celtics shot 32% in the first half and hit just one of 16 threes. 

The Bucks went on a 25-0 run from the end to the first quarter into the second quarter and that allowed the home side to stretch the lead out to 38. The Bucks scored more points in the first quarter than the Cetlics did in the entire first half. Boston is coming off of an OT win over Minnesota last night and it shows. 

When you attract as much attention as Giannis does you can get away with passes like these. Portis led all scorers after the first quarter with 11, including three triple tries. 

Lillard missed last game against the Jazz two night ago, but he was making up for lost time in the first quarter, hitting two quick threes and 10 of his 18 first half points in the first 12 minutes. 

It's been a rough start to the year, but Giannis and company have responded tonight after getting a couple days off before this clash of the titans. 

Dump down from Lillard to Giannis and he gets it to drop down low for the final bucket of the first half. 

We are off to halftime with the Bucks leading by 37!

Tatum to the line after the foul on Jackson and he hits one of two FTs. 

White on the pull up and he hits the mid range jumper. 

Lillard going to the rack and he finishes high off the glass over Porzingis. 

Holiday with the floater down the lane off the inbounds. 

Lillard to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Porzingis. 

Tatum with a quick dribble to the bucket and the lay up off the glass. 

Jackson missed the three ball from the corner and Giannis stretched for the rebound and the put back. 

Giannis airballed the baseline jumper but Jackson hit Lopez at the top of the key for the three ball!

Three ball from straight on for Lillard and he drills it to draw another TO from Boston with 4:16 to go in the 1st half. 

Brown responds quickly on the other end with a dash to the rack. 

Giannis with the steal and he looks up for Beasley who lays in the finger roll. 

Brown dribble to the FT line and strokes the jumper. 

Beasley drills a three ball out of the timeout. 

Dump off form Brown to Holiday running the floor and the Bucks take a timeout with 7:15 to go in the 2nd quarter. 

Brown on the slash to the rack and he stretches to the bucket to stop the run at 25-0. 

Lopez drills the mid range jumper and the onslaught continues. 

Middleton with the pull up from DT and he drops it to extend the lead to over 30!!!

Portis drains the mid range jumper and the run is up to 20-0 all from Giannis and Portis. 

Timeout Celtics with under 9 to go in the first half. 

Giannis with the slam after Middleton found him in traffic under the iron. 18-0 run for MIL. 

Giannis to the line after the foul on Tatum, but the Greek makes just one of two. 

Portis has the hot hand! He drops another three ball after the offensive board from Jackson. 

Giannis gets to the FT line and hits the jumper over Holiday. 

We are at the end of the first quarter and the Bucks put up 41 on the league's best team. The home side ended the first quarter on a 20-6 run to take an 18 point lead into the second quarter. 

Portis leads all scorers with 11, Lillard has 10 after a couple of quick threes to start and Giannis has 9. 

The Celtics are 1/8 from downtown. 

Portis with the steal and the score! He's got 8 quick points!

Portis on the perimeter and he pump fakes and drills the three ball from the same spot!

Giannis driving strong to the rack and he missed it on the first try but got the tip to go. 

Portis in the corner and he drills the three off the no look pass from Giannis. 

Brissett was left open down low and Tatum found him for the slam. 

Giannis comes out of the timeout and hits a the hook shot in the lane after a spin around a defender. 

Brissett with a behind the back move on Lillard and he goes up and slams it on Lopez!!!

Timeout Bucks with 2:37 to go in the first quarter. 

Back door cut from Brown and Porzingis found him slashing to the cup for the jam. 

Beasley drops a triple try from the top of the key off the dish from Lillard!

Hauser sends Portis to the line where he hits one of two. 

Lillard to the line after a foul on Brown and he hits both FTs. 

Portis gets his own offensive board and follows up with the put back. 

Porzingis following up the miss by White and he tips slams the rebound. 

Middleton spinning to the rack and he hits the short range effort in the paint. 

Hauser off the bench and he drills a three ball after the offensive board from Brown. 

Lopez was open for three and open for buisness after Lillard hit him on the perimeter. 

Timeout Celtics four and a half into the first quarter. 

Lopez to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits one of two from the line. 

Tatum on the spot up from the elbow to get his night started. 

Beasley gets the mid range jumper to fall and he's going to need to step up to ease the burden on Giannis and Lillard. 

Holiday to the line and he drops both from the line after the foul on Giannis. 

Slip pass from Tatum to Porzingis for a second straight jam. 

Lillard to the bucket this time and he gets the left handed lay up to fall. 

Porzingis gets his night started with a jam off the dish from Brown after trailing in transition. 

Tatum was fouled by Lillard on the drive to the iron and he hits both FTs to open up his account. 

Giannis going strong to the rack, and he gets the lay up to go and the foul!

Lillard with a second straight three ball and he's off to a great start tonight. 

Brown with a pull up from the mid range and the C's are on the board. 

Giannis streaking to the bucket and he slams it down with authority. 

Lillard pulls up from DT and he's on the board early with a three ball!

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM FISERV FORUM!!!

The two top teams in the East going toe-to-toe from Milwaukee. 

Tonight's odds 

The Bucks are coming into tonight as 2 points favorites with the Over/Under set at 247.5. 

The Bucks are on two days rest and need this win. I think their defense shows up tonight finally and the Celtics lose steam in the second half on the second end of a back to back series. 

Bucks win 123-111. 

Damian Lillard is back in the starting five after missing the Jazz game to personal reasons. He is joined by Giannis, Malik Beasley, Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez. This is a potential ECF matchup, so let's see how the Bucks fair at home against the league's best team. 

The Celtics had the best starting five in the game last year. Since the trade this summer, that fantastic starting five has got even better. They have size, they have shooting and they have defense. Tonight Joe Mazzula has all hands on deck, Holiday returns to Milwaukee with Derrick White, Brown, Tatum and the Big man Porzingis down low. 

Giannis speaks on Bucks pride

Giannis knows what it takes to win an MVP. He also knows what it takes to win an NBA title, and in his eyes the Bucks aren’t playing like a team capable of winning a championship. After losing to the Rockets last week, the Greek called out his team for their lack of effort and inability to stop teams “We gotta take it personal. Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn’t want to play hard, it’s gotta be a decision that’s gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don’t play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There’s times I’m tired, and I don’t play as hard as I can. And there’s times even when I give everything I have. But we have to have a mentality of whenever we step on the floor, we have to get stops,” This might be an inopportune time for Jrue Holiday to return to Milwaukee, because he is a player that never got questioned for his effort or his commitment on the defensive end.

Eastern Conference standings 

Taking a look at the standings in the East, we see the Boston Celtics at the top of the conference with a record of 29-8 after their win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are 4 games ahead of the Bucks who have lost four of their last five and are just a game and a half above the Sixers in 3rd place. The Bucks are just a game back of the Timberwolves who have the second best record in the West at 26-11, which means they have the third best record in the league. We are in for a treat tonight as the Celtics look to keep rolling in the second game of a back to back against two of the best teams in the league. 

Giannis on the mend

Giannis is coming of his fourth triple double of the season, but in games in which the Green gets 10+ across the statistical board, Milwaukee is just 2-2. Giannis is a two time MVP with an NBA title under his belt but things haven’t been going the way many expected in the first year that him and Damian Lillard joined forces. The Greek is averaging 31.4 ppg, which is the most of his illustrious career, getting 11.5 boards and almost 6 assists a game which ties his career high. Despite the eyepopping numbers, the Bucks have shown some weaknesses and Antetokoumnpo has been vocal about those weaknesses. 

Holiday homecoming

Jrue Holiday was ready to retire a Milwaukee Buck. He said so just days before getting traded to the Boston Celtics this summer. Now he is in Boston, on a championship contending team that the Bucks will most likely have to get through to reach the NBA Finals. Holiday won a title with Milwaukee in his first year with the team after getting traded from the New Orleans Pelicans and set up shop in Wisconsin. One of the reasons the Bucks won the title was the Holiday’s capacity on the defensive end, something that they are desperately missing in the first half of this season. 

Celtics last game 

The Celtics were pushed to overtime last night as they hosted the top team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a clash of the titans as the two leaders in the East and West met, and went blow for blow for all 12 rounds as Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards went back and forth for more than four quarters. Jrue Holiday hit a go ahead three ball with 25 on the fourth quarter clock to take a 111-109 lead but Anthony Edwards tied the game up with 8.1 to go. Tatum had a a chance to win it at the buzzer but missed a last second shot which forced the game to OT. Tatum made amends scoring 12 of the 16 points in the extra session to give the C’s the 127-120 win. 

Bucks last game

Milwaukee lost their second game in a row on Monday night when they returned home and played the Utah Jazz from the Fiserv Forum. They took on the Jazz without Damian Lillard who missed the game for personal reasons, which left Giannis Antetokounmpo to play Super Man yet again. The Greek had a triple double but it wasn’t enough to even keep close with a Utah team that lead from wire to wire. Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen both scored 21 to lead the Jazz who led by as many as 33. Clarkson’s 21 came off the bench, as the rest of the cast who came in as subs chipped in another 43 points to account for almost half of the visitors total in the 132-116 win. 

We are live from the Forum

Hello everyone and welcome to Milwaukee where it has been a rough start to the new year for the Bucks. They lost four of their first five to bring in the new year and are on a two game losing skid coming into tonight. They have been criticized by media, fans and even their two time MVP after struggling over the last couple weeks, but they remain second in the East trailing only the Celtics who come into tonight on the heels of a big win over the leaders in the West but tonight their stamina will be tested, taking on a physical Bucks team in the second game of a back to back. 

Celtics vs. Bucks 

It’s a top of the table matchup from Milwaukee tonight as the two best teams in the East square off from Fiserv Forum. The Boston Celtics come into tonight with the league’s best record, and they will take on a Bucks team trying to end a two game losing skid. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s heavyweight bout in the Eastern Conference.