Celtics produce wire-to-wire win over Bucks

[1/63]Nov 22, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) warms up before playing against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports Acquire Licensing Rights

November 23 – Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 26 points and dished out eight assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 119-116 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Brown made 10 of his 16 field-goal attempts, including 3 of 5 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Boston, which led wire to wire, made 17 of its 42 3-point attempts (40.5 percent) in the win. Seven Celtics had at least two 3-point field goals.

Boston led 114-105 following a Jayson Tatum dunk with 1:30 to play, but Milwaukee pulled within three points with 44 seconds remaining after back-to-back 3-pointers by Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard.

Tatum made three free throws to stretch Boston’s advantage to 117-111 with 11.6 seconds remaining, and Boston had a 119-113 lead until Malik Beasley made a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Tatum finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Kristaps Porzingis (21 points), Derrick White (13), Al Horford (11), Sam Hauser (10) and Payton Pritchard (10) also scored in double figures for the Celtics. White also made three 3-pointers. Tatum, Porzingis, Hauser, Horford and Pritchard each finished with two.

Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez led all scorers with 28 points. Lillard tossed in 27 points and added five rebounds and five assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo amassed 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Bucks, whose five-game winning streak ended. Boston won for the seventh time in eight games.

The Celtics scored the game’s first 10 points and led 29-17 after one quarter. The Bucks shot 26.9 percent (7 of 26) in the period.

Boston was up by as many as 21 points in the second quarter and led 67-53 at halftime. The Celtics made 12 of their 23 3-point attempts in the half (52.2 percent) and shot 58.1 percent from the field (25 of 43).

The Bucks trimmed the deficit to 67-59 on a Middleton jumper with 10:42 remaining in the third but failed to get any closer in the quarter. Boston carried a 94-79 edge into the fourth.

The victory improved Boston’s home record to 6-0.

–Field Level Media

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