By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Boston Celtics banked on a stellar second half to frustrate the slumping Milwaukee Bucks, 113-107, during their Eastern Conference showdown in the ongoing NBA regular season on November 11, 2024.
With the huge victory, the Celtics just handed Milwaukee their eighth loss out of their 10 games, their worst start since Giannis Antetokounmpo led them to the 2021 NBA championship title.
It was a great team effort for coach Joe Mazzulla’s wards as five of his players all reached the double-digit scoring mark led by Jayson Tatum’s all-around performance which spearheaded Boston’s rally in the last two quarters.
Down by as much as 17 points in the first half, the Celtics flipped the switch when the third quarter kicked off and limited the Bucks to their lowest-scoring frame of the game with 15 points.
Aside from their adjusted perimeter defense that neutralized Antetokounmpo’s driving ability, Boston also deployed quick help coverage in the wings that stopped Milwaukee’s three-point rampage.
Unlike the first two quarters where the Bucks hoisted shots at will from anywhere in the court, they all went flat in the third and got disrupted by Boston’s patient defensive schemes.
One of the keys that led Boston to victory was the ever-consistent scoring outing of backup point guard Payton Pritchard.
When the Boston starters were having trouble gaining their shooting stroke in the first half, Pritchard kept them alive and answered every Milwaukee basket and already dropped 17 markers in just the first two quarters.
Pritchard’s hot hands helped the Celtics avoid what could’ve been a larger lead for the Bucks, sinking five out of his eight total attempts from the three-point line.
Picking up where Pritchard left off in the final two cantos was Tatum, who aggressively fished for fouls to make up for his poor shooting from the field.
The superstar small forward made a living from the charity stripe, draining 13 out of his 15 attempts to end up with a team-high 31-point performance alongside 12 rebounds and six assists.
The backcourt duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday also put up steady numbers for Boston as they delivered 15 points each.
On the other hand, it was another disappointing result for the Bucks despite a 43-point explosion from Antetokounmpo, his best-scoring performance of the season so far.
Antetokounmpo was dominant on both ends of the floor and sank 18 field goals but his other half, Damian Lillard, only finished with 14 markers built from 4/15 shooting from the field.
The Bucks will look to gain some momentum and get out of their losing streak on November 13, 2024, as they face the Toronto Raptors in another Eastern Conference clash.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will aim to push their winning streak to three on the same date, against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.
