The Milwaukee Bucks sneak by the depleted Boston Celtics to secure their 11th straight win
The Milwaukee Bucks had to go through some anxious moments before getting their 11th straight win, needing an extra five-minute session before edging out the short-handed Boston Celtics, 131-125, on Tuesday night.
Taking advantage of a short-handed Boston squad
The hard-earned win pushed the Bucks to within a half-game behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings as they improved to 40-17. The Celtics dropped to 41-17.
Also, with the victory, the Bucks have recorded their longest winning streak since 2019, wherein they racked up 18 successive wins. The Bucks' longest winning streak in franchise history is 20.
The Celtics played without Jayson Tatum (non-COVID illness), Jaylen Brown (facial fracture), Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle), and Al Horford (swelling in right knee).
Even with Boston's top guns not suiting up, the game was close and could have went either way, as there were 11 ties and 11 lead changes.
Jrue and Giannis lead the way
Jrue Holiday helped the Bucks escape what could have been a massive upset as he matched a career-high with 40 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime. Giannis Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple-double, backing Holiday with 36 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocked shots.
Derrick White scored 27 points, and Malcolm Brogdon added 26 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 14 points but failed to sustain their momentum and saw their four-game win streak come to an end. Sam Hauser added 15 points and helped Boston force overtime by knocking down a three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation.
Boston started the overtime with five unanswered points and was still ahead, 125-124 after Brogdon converted two free throws with 33.1 seconds left. Holiday then dropped a crucial trifecta, and Antetokounmpo scored the game's last four points to put the C's away.
