Apr 3, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (00) and guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) react after a play against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. The Bucks defeated the Celtics 110 to 101. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The bench is back, baby! Led by 25 points and six assists from O.J. Mayo, the bench unit overpowered the Boston Celtics Friday night scoring 50 points. Seven Bucks players scored in double figures–a balanced attack that led to a 110-101 Milwaukee Bucks victory over the Boston Celtics.
O.J. Mayo is tonight’s star. His brilliant first half included 20 points on 8-10 shooting (4-4 from three) and 4 assists–strong play that kept the Bucks competitive with Boston despite trailing 52-50 at halftime.
The third quarter was a completely different story. Ersan Ilyasova scored 11 points in the period’s first 6:49 as the Bucks outscored Boston 36-23 and took a 86-75 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Celtics proved a gamely opponent, trimming the Bucks lead to six on two different occasions, but a Michael Carter-Williams three-pointer and a Giannis Antetokunmpo pull-up jumper on back-to-back possessions gave the Bucks a nine point lead with 6:22 remaining.
This was a much-needed victory for the Milwaukee Bucks. Not only did it come on the road against a potential Eastern Conference playoff team, but reduced the Buck’s playoff magic number to just three and four for the sixth seed.
The Bucks seem to have their mojo back and with just one game remaining against an above-.500 opponent (Cleveland) the Bucks could enter the playoffs with strong momentum.
Read more about Mayo’s strong game, Dudley’s re-appearance, and the strong third quarter push in our Milwaukee Bucks grades and reactions.
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