The Boston Celtics couldn’t hold on in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to defeat the Celtics, 110-107, in Game 5 Wednesday night at TD Garden.
With the win, the Bucks lead the series, 3-2, and are one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.
Check out the full box score here:
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Allowing the Bucks to crash the offensive glass successfully ended up costing the Celtics dearly.
The Bucks grabbed 17 offensive boards, including a monumental one by Bobby Portis in the final seconds off a Giannis Antetokounmpo missed free throw. Portis secured the rebound and put the ball back in with 11.4 seconds left.
Milwaukee got second-chance points all night and that allowed the Bucks to erase a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.
Poor rebounding — the Bucks held a 49-36 rebound advantage — has now pushed the Celtics to the brink of elimination.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jayson Tatum has certainly answered for his poor Game 3 performance. Tatum turned in a team-high 34 points on 12-of-29 shooting while adding six rebounds and four assists. For Tatum it was his second straight game with at least 30 points.
— Jaylen Brown pulled the Celtics out of another sluggish third quarter. Brown netted 16 of his 26 points in the frame, capping his hot hand with a step-back 3-pointer, to keep the Bucks at bay. Brown also recorded eight rebounds and six assists.
— Antetokounmpo continues to lead the way for the Bucks. The Greek Freak poured in a game-high 40 points on 16-for-27 shooting along with grabbing 11 rebounds.
WAGER WATCH
Taking the over on the point total would have been a winning bet. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the over/under was set at 211.5 points, and it took until the final seconds of the fourth quarter to get over that total. The Celtics and Bucks combined for 217 points.
UP NEXT
The series shifts back to Milwaukee for a pivotal Game 6 on Friday at Fiserv Forum. The NBA has yet to announce when the game will tipoff.
