The Milwaukee Bucks fended off the ever-resilient Boston Celtics to earn a hard-fought, clutch Game 4 victory on Sunday afternoon and even their first round series at 2-2.
It was unbelievably tense down the stretch, but the Milwaukee Bucks squeaked out a nail-biting Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon to even up their first round series with the No. 2 seed in the East.
The Bucks stumbled out of the gate to start off the game as they only put home five points in the game’s first seven minutes, leaving the Celtics to leisurely pull ahead of them during that stretch. But the Bucks rallied back by outscoring the Celtics 19-5 in the period’s final 4:55, which gave them a 24-17 lead after one.
Milwaukee carried over their strong close into the second quarter as they firmly grabbed control of the game by building a double-digit lead with stifling defense and consistent buckets offensively.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
Although the Celtics threatened to close the gap, the Bucks held off Boston in the remainder of the second as they led 51-35 heading into halftime.
It looked as if the story would remain the same at the start of the second half seeing that the Bucks reinforced their lead in the opening minutes of the third, which stood as large as 20 at the 7:37 mark of the quarter.
However, the Celtics sprung back to life at that point as they steadily chipped away at their deficit to draw it down to single digits at the 2:37 mark of the period. Fortunately, the Bucks were able to slow down the momentum the Celtics were building by holding a 75-67 lead with 12 minutes to go.
Once again, though, the Celtics hacked away at the gap between them and the Bucks, knotting things up at 77 at the 9:03 mark of the fourth quarter. From that point on, the Bucks relied on making tough shots to ward off the Celtics’ pressure, which held for the majority of the fourth quarter.
But the inextinguishable Celtics broke through to take a momentary 100-99 lead with 52 seconds to go. The Bucks answered back with a clutch corner three by Malcolm Brogdon on the next possession, which the Celtics countered with Al Horford sinking a pair of free throws after drawing a foul on Thon Maker.
With both teams tied up at 102 with 29 seconds to go, the Bucks navigated through a hastily put together possession, which was saved by Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s successful second chance putback off a drive to the rim by Brogdon. The Celtics looked to send the game into overtime in the five seconds that remained, but were unsuccessful in doing so after Khris Middleton stonewalled Marcus Morris near the block on the right side of the floor.
So without further ado, let’s break down what stood out in the Bucks’ Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics from Sunday afternoon.