Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday look to lead Bucks past Celtics and reduce magic number to clinch top seed in Eastern Conference, game updates
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A little over a week ago the Milwaukee Bucks stepped out to say they wanted to claim the no. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and on Thursday night the had a chance to step up and effectively clinch it. But, they lost 140-99 to the no. 2 Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum, which keeps the Bucks’ magic number to clinch at four with five games remaining.
More than that, though, the Celtics earned the tiebreaker by winning the season series 2-1. So, the Bucks must finish with a better overall record to earn the top spot.
Milwaukee dropped to 55-22 overall and Boston improved to 53-24.
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Boston blows the Bucks’ doors off
For the second time in a week, the Bucks played one of the NBA’s best teams on the back end of a back-to-back.
For the second time in a week, they lost big.
Milwaukee lost to Denver by 23 on Saturday after a strong first half, but the Celtics – and particularly all-star wing Jaylen Brown – had no interest in letting the Bucks get going Thursday night. Brown scored 17 first quarter points and the Celtics made 60% of their three-pointers (6 for 10) while the Bucks’ stars struggled to get going and went 3 for 11 from deep in the opening stanza.
Even though Boston led 34-26 after one, it was clear the way it was going.
BOX SCORE: Celtics 140, Bucks 99
And then the Bucks went 0 for 11 from behind the three-point line in the second quarter while Jayson Tatum poured in 15 points and the Celtics went up by as many as 30 before taking a 75-47 lead into the break.
According to the statistical site StatMuse, the Bucks’ effort from deep was the most three-point attempts without a make in a quarter this season in the NBA.
Tatum and Brown combined to score 42 points on 14 of 24 (58%) shooting, including 7 for 10 from three, and it didn’t matter who tried to guard them be it Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jae Crowder, Khris Middleton, Joe Ingles or Wesley Matthews. The star duo just would not be denied.
And as a team, the Celtics were 13 for 23 from distance in the first half while the Bucks couldn’t make a shot.
Literally.
Not only did they not make a three-pointer in the second quarter, they went 5 minutes, 6 seconds without a field goal at the start of the decisive third quarter. They went 0 for 10 from the field and turned it over three times as the Celtics built a 8-point lead up to 22.
Antetokounmpo scored 20 points in the first half, but he had to take 20 shots. He made only nine. Middleton was 4 for 11 for 11 points and Holiday was 1 for 7 for three points.
The Celtics kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter, and Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer pulled his starters with just over four minutes left in the third quarter with the Celtics up 100-61.
Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points on 11 of 27 shooting, including an 0 for 5 mark from behind the three-point line. Middleton had 13 points in 20 minutes before exiting with injury, and Holiday had six points on 2 of 8 shooting. Brook Lopez had eight points in 20 minutes.
Tatum put up 40 on 12 of 18 shooting in 31 minutes through three quarters and Brown had 30 on 13 of 20 shooting in 32 minutes.
According to TSN Sports, the Bucks became the only team to be down by 40 or more points after three quarters twice this season. They trailed 117-71 after three quarters on Dec. 15 vs. Memphis.
The Bucks have lost just five times since Jan. 23, but those losses have come at home against no. 2 Boston, no. 3 Philadelphia and on the road to Western Conference top seed Denver and the West’s no. 6 team, Golden State. They also lost to Indiana at home.
Khris Middleton exits after hard foul
While the Bucks starters were pulled from the game with 4:24 left in the game and the team down 100-61, Middleton exited earlier after his face was bloodied by Jaylen Brown following a collision in the paint. Brown was called for an offensive foul, and Middleton lay prone for a bit on the court before sitting up and eventually exiting for the locker room with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter.
He received stitches for an upper lip laceration and did not return to action.
Middleton played 20 minutes, scoring 13 points on 5 of 13 shooting. He also had five rebound and four assists.
Three-point disparity dooms Bucks
Before the Celtics pulled their starters to begin the fourth quarter, they were 17 for 31 from deep in taking a 114-74 lead into the final frame – led by Tatum’s 8 for 10 effort. Horford was 4 for 6 and Brown 3 for 5.
But it wasn’t so much that they made 17 through three quarters. It was the fact they connected at 54.8% clip, which was rare for a Bucks opponent. Milwaukee came in tied for fifth in the league in opposing three-point percentage at 34.9%.
It was also the fact that at that point, the Bucks had only made 8 of their 31 attempts (25.8%).
Milwaukee made just 3 threes to Boston’s 6 in the first quarter, and then made none to Boston’s 6 in the second quarter. The 36-9 differential in threes alone was a big contributing factor to the Celtics taking a 28-point lead.
What is the Bucks magic number?
4 The “magic number” is the combination of Bucks win and Celtics losses. With the loss Thursday, the Bucks do not have the tiebreaker so they must finish with one more win than Boston.
Holiday a finalist for Teammate of the Year
During the game, the NBA announced that Holiday was one of 12 finalists for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award. According to the NBA “the annual honor recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on and off court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players and commitment and dedication to team.”
Holiday won the award last year, and in 2019-20 while as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Created in 2013-14, Holiday is the only player to win it multiple times.
Five numbers
0 Minutes Pat Connaughton played in the first half. He didn’t check in until the Bucks were down 100-61 with 4:24 to go in the third quarter.
5 Middleton’s place on the Bucks’ all-time field goal attempts list, passing Michael Redd with his 10th attempt of the game against Boston. Middleton is also top five in three-pointers made (first), three-pointers attempted (first), assists (fourth), games played (fourth), steals (fifth) and minutes logged (fifth).
8 Technical fouls on Bucks players in their last four games after Middleton was called for one early in the third quarter. They earned three in Denver, one in Detroit and three in Indiana. Though it wasn’t a technical foul, Thanasis Antetokounmpo was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on Blake Griffin in the fourth quarter.
9-3 Bucks record in the second of back-to-back games.
18-6 Bucks record when the Big Three play.
Play of the game is Jayson Tatum’s step-back three over Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez is still a formidable force in the paint so he forced Jayson Tatum to step-back for a deep three-pointer early in the third quarter — but the problem was Tatum was on fire and he knocked down the 25-footer in front of the Bucks bench.
Video of the game is Jaylen Brown’s bucket over Giannis
Brown was unstoppable in the first quarter for Boston, scoring 17 points to stake his team to a 34-26 lead and set the tone for the entire game. For this particular basket, he was able to get into the paint against Giannis Antetokounmpo and maneuver his way into a jumper.
Brown was 7 for 9 and he played the entire 12 minutes of the quarter.
Bucks injury report
Who do the Bucks play next?
Milwaukee will get two days off and then host the surging Philadelphia 76ers, who have challenged the Bucks as the hottest team in the NBA. They are 25-10 since Jan. 14, including a comeback victory over the Bucks at Fiserv Forum on March 4. Philadelphia has beaten Milwaukee twice already this season. Center Joel Embiid is averaging 33.2 points per game and is an MVP candidate while James Harden is averaging 21.3 points and 10.9 assists per game. Tyrese Maxey is having a breakout season alongside them, averaging 20.5 points per game.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum combine for 70 points Celtics blow out Bucks 140-99