© Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks fight back but fall short, bow to the Boston Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game, and there was no escape act this time for the Milwaukee Bucks as they fell to the red-hot Boston Celtics, 119-122, on Wednesday.
Giannis sat out anew due to hamstring issues. The Bucks won without him against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, 140-129, but they couldn’t duplicate the feat when their attempt to come back from a 21-point deficit fell short.
Top 2 teams in East
With the loss, the Bucks dropped to 44-25 as their two-game winning streak was snapped. The Celtics firmed up their hold on the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference by tallying their seventh straight win to move up to 55-14. Boston holds an 11-game edge over Milwaukee.
Boston built a 104-83 lead when Payton Pritchard sank a three-pointer to open the scoring in the fourth quarter. Just as it started to look like a blowout affair, the Bucks staged a mighty comeback and rallied within 114-116 when Bobby Portis Jr. hit a running shot while being fouled by Derrick White with 32.6 seconds left.
Crucial free throws sealed it for Boston
Malik Beasley then committed a defensive blunder when he gambled for a reach-in and fouled Jaylen Brown, who was not in scoring position and was far away from the basket.
Brown sank free throws, giving the Celtics a 118-114 lead with just 20.3 seconds left. Damian Lillard missed a layup in the next play, and Jayson Tatum iced the game with two made free throws.
Lillard led the Bucks with 32 points, while Portis tallied 24 points and 15 rebounds. Khris Middleton finished with 22 points in his second straight outing after missing 16 games due to a sprained ankle.
Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, White added 23, and Brown pitched in 21. Pritchard had 19 points, while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 17.
