BOSTON — The Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 139-118 on Christmas Day at TD Garden.
The C’s improved to 24-10 while the Bucks fell to 22-11.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Who knows how they did it, but the Celtics had a complete reversal of fortune against the Bucks — putting together their best performance from beyond the arc all month.
After combining to shoot 31.5% from 3-point land in its first 11 games this month, Boston shot an astounding 48.7% from deep — reverting back the ways of a historic pace from October and November.
The Celtics came out hot, connecting on four of their first five shots from range. The Bucks, however, struggled mightily, with Antetokounmpo settling for shots outside of the paint early and often. That bled over to the rest of the team, with Milwaukee going just 8-for-26 from beyond the arc through three quarters.
Milwaukee was forced to settle for the outside shot in the fourth quarter, trailing by 19 points at one point. Antetokounmpo hit a few shots, but an offensive explosion from Jaylen Brown was enough to essentially seal the game for Boston.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum was the best player on the court, scoring 41 points on 14-of-22 shooting. He also filled up the box score with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
He also had a sweet poster on Antetokounmpo.
— Marcus Smart could have landed on this list without scoring a single point. His passing was superb, netting him eight assists to only one turnover. He also added six points and three rebounds on the afternoon.
— Grant Williams was a pest to the Bucks, but also stuffed the stat sheet. He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
WAGER WATCH
Tatum blew past his total steals prop in this one. DraftKings Sportsbook set his steals total at 1.5 on Christmas, giving him -115 odds of surpassing the number. He made the Grinch proud, finishing with three, meaning a $100 bet would have netted a total payout of $186.96.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will be back at TD Garden on Tuesday, welcoming the Houston Rockets to town for the first time in 2022. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
