In an overtime finish at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks were able to eek out a 131-125 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Paced by ten points from newly acquired Mike Muscala, the Celtics were able to take command of things late in the quarter. This granted them a 35-27 advantage after one quarter of play.
Despite some adversity which included some tough foul calls, the Bucks were able to overcome the challenges Boston threw their way in the second quarter. At the break, Milwaukee was able to carve out a thin 64-63 lead.
Turnovers started to really make things tough for the Bucks in the fourth, as they began to pile up while remaining even for Boston. However, a Jrue Holiday 48-footer at the horn sliced the Celtics lead to just five at 95-90 going into the fourth.
That Jrue Holiday would continue to be huge in the fourth. A pair of threes gave the Bucks a 113-107 lead with 3:51 left. Milwaukee would be up three with single-digit seconds left, but a Sam Hauser prayer would go in. Khris Middleton’s game-winning attempt rimmed out and we went to overtime tied at 116.
The biggest shot of the game? A Jrue Holiday 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 127-125 lead. The Bucks then forced a turnover and Giannis iced it at the line with a pair of free throws (and dunk), solidifying a 131-125 win for Milwaukee.
Stat That Stood Out
I’m gonna go with turnovers. It’s really the leading factor as to why the Celtics were able to make this one so competitive despite lacking their typical star players. In the end, Milwaukee coughed the ball up 18 times compared to Boston’s 13 times. You know Bud isn’t happy of that performance and that it’s not going to repeat.
