Celtics Hold Off Bucks Rally, Win 109-102 Behind George's 25
Milwaukee erased a 22-point deficit and led with 6:50 left, but Paul George scored 25 points and Derrick White added 24 as Boston, without Jayson Tatum, closed out the win at TD Garden.
Key points
- The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-102 at TD Garden on Wednesday night, holding off a rally that erased a 22-point deficit and briefly put Milwaukee in front in the fourth quarter.
- Boston controlled the first half.
- The Bucks cut the deficit through the third quarter and took a 92-91 lead on a Nate Ament free throw with 6 minutes and 50 seconds left, the Journal Sentinel reported.
The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-102 at TD Garden on Wednesday night, holding off a rally that erased a 22-point deficit and briefly put Milwaukee in front in the fourth quarter. Paul George scored 25 points and Derrick White added 24 for Boston, which rested leading scorer Jayson Tatum and still improved to 6-2.
Boston controlled the first half. The Celtics shot 10 of 17 from three-point range before the break, scored 15 points off 10 Milwaukee turnovers and led 62-40 at halftime, according to Reuters and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Luka Garza's tip-in had pushed the lead to 53-32 late in the second quarter.
Milwaukee storms back
The Bucks cut the deficit through the third quarter and took a 92-91 lead on a Nate Ament free throw with 6 minutes and 50 seconds left, the Journal Sentinel reported. Tyler Herro led Milwaukee with 25 points and Jaime Jaquez added 18. Myles Turner finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Herro and Jaquez combined for 43 of Milwaukee's 102 points. Milwaukee had cut the deficit to seven by the middle of the third quarter, when a Herro layup made it 74-67 with 5 minutes and 38 seconds left in the period, Reuters reported. The game was tied at 97 with 4 minutes and 4 seconds left, before Boston scored the next seven points. Milwaukee never got closer than five again.
George and White closed the game. CelticsWire credited George with 25 points, five assists and four steals, and White with 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Boston stayed unbeaten at home. Tatum, who averages 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists, sat out for rest, and Boston was also without Payton Pritchard.
What it means
Milwaukee has lost four straight games. The comeback showed fight, but the Bucks spent the first half digging the hole: 10 turnovers, cold shooting and a 22-point deficit against a Boston team missing its best player. Boston won with 49 points from George and White alone, against a Milwaukee team at full strength in its backcourt. Boston, meanwhile, keeps winning the games it should. The teams meet again on Sunday, November 8, in Milwaukee, after the Bucks host Toronto on Friday, November 6.