Celtics Wrap: Boston Blows Lead Late, Falls To Bucks On Christmas

The Boston Celtics looked like they were going to earn a massive win for much of Saturday’s game, but the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks were too much late as they earned a 117-113 victory at Fiserv Forum.

The Celtics’ record fell to 16-17 with the win, while the Bucks improved to 22-13.

You can check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics took control of the game early and pretty much controlled the action from start to finish, but the Bucks took their first lead of the game with under five minutes remaining and stole the win. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup for Milwaukee and dominated per usual finishing the night with 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Boston’s defense was the key in the first half but struggled to begin the second half — which has been common for the team so far this season — and allowed 43 points in the third quarter alone. The Celtics’ defense looked solid once again in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks’ defense smothered Boston’s offense and held it to just 19 points to complete the comeback.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown was a beast for the Celtics despite the loss. He came out on fire and scored 14 points in the first quarter and finished the day with a stat line of 25 points, four rebounds, three assists and one chipped tooth.

— Jayson Tatum also stuffed the stat sheet for Boston, finishing the game with 25 points as well to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

— Antetokounmpo was the best player on the court Saturday and there wasn’t any doubt about it. The big man actually missed Milwaukee’s last five games while recovering from COVID-19, but he didn’t miss a beat at all across his 30 minutes of action Christmas Day.

WAGER WATCH
The Celtics didn’t win Saturday, but they still could have won you some money. The Bucks were seven-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. So if you took the Celtics at +7 on the spread with odds at -110 you could’ve wagered $110 and came away with $100 of profit.

UP NEXT
Boston will have Sunday off and return to action Monday night on the road as it takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.