BOSTON — The last time the Bucks came to Boston, both sides were shorthanded, with Milwaukee down Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton and the Celtics missing Jaylen Brown. But it was all hands on deck in Monday’s rematch.
And with everyone on board, the Celtics put away the Bucks, 117-103, to improve to 14-14. The Bucks dropped to 18-11.
You can view the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics desperately needed to find their defensive groove heading into the second quarter after they allowed the Bucks to end the first frame on an 18-4 run, resulting in a 30-21 lead for the visitors.
And they found it as they stormed back to enter the half with a 51-50 lead after a 20-11 run of their own. After the Bucks closed the first quarter hitting 57.1% of shots from the field (12-of-21), they headed into the break closing in on just 7-of-19 attempts in the second quarter.
After that, the Bucks never led again. Milwaukee finished the night shooting just 44.4% from the field, compared to 50% shooting by Boston.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 15 points at the break, which he turned into 42 points by the end of things. He finished shooting 16-of-25 from the field with five rebounds and four assists.
— In his return after a six-game absence, Brown finished with 19 points in 30 minutes on the floor.
— Jrue Holiday and Antetokounmpo both tallied 20 points for the Bucks.
WAGER WATCH
The Celtics sat at -105 on the moneyline heading into Monday’s tilt, meaning a $105 bet would win $100 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Those who took Tatum’s propositional bets could have really lined their wallets.
Anyone who pegged him to score at least 35 points was rewarded with less than six minutes to play when he hit his 14th field goal of the night. Anyone who wagered $100 on the prop at DraftKings Sportsbook would have received a nice $425 reward.
And if that wasn’t enough, he hit his fifth three with less than three minutes to go, adding to the payout for anyone who took the +450 odds.
UP NEXT
The Celtics have a few days off before hosting the Golden State Warriors on Friday. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden.
