By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Milwaukee Bucks clinched one of its biggest wins of the ongoing NBA regular season so far after decimating their Eastern Conference rival squad Boston Celtics, 135-102, last January 12, 2024.
After suffering back-to-back losses against the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz, the Bucks finally regrouped and completed its bounce-back tour on their own home floor.
It was all Milwaukee from the get-go as their efficient and high-octane offense ballooned their advantage to 18 points, 41-23, at the end of the first quarter.
Just when the Celtics thought they could withstand Milwaukee’s surge, the Bucks sustained its fiery attack and extended its lead to 37 points heading into the second half.
Boston waved the white flag as early as the third quarter after deploying an all-bench starting five when the third-quarter whistle sounded.
Despite an early offensive production from Payton Pritchard, the Bucks’ starters were able to weather the storm and maintained its double-digit lead.
Damian Lillard finally found his shooting stroke and broke his streak of inefficient shooting nights after dropping 21 points in just 27 minutes of playing time.
Aside from his offensive showcase, Lillard also dished out four assists and tallied four rebounds without any turnover.
Bobby Portis Jr. had his second-best scoring performance of the ongoing regular season after dropping 28 markers while top-scoring the Bucks.
The big man had one of those nights and was unstoppable once he planted his position in the paint, converting 11/18 shooting from the field.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added to Boston’s woes and recorded another double-double outing of 24 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes.
Milwaukee will gun for its second straight victory on January 14, 2024, as they face the struggling Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will look to go back to the drawing board and bounce back against the Houston Rockets this Sunday.
