The Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to eight games Wednesday night with a thrilling 121-119 win over the Boston Celtics.
It was far from their best team performance of the season as they managed to survive despite blowing what had been a comfortable 25-point lead midway through the third quarter. It would have been a loss for the Bucks had Boston’s Daniel Theis knocked down a wide-open triple in the corner at the final buzzer, but they caught a break as it was just off.
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Despite its almost devastating conclusion, a win is a win, and the Bucks are rolling. Winners in 13 of their last 14 games, this team moves to 29-14 on the season, continuing their excellent stretch of basketball following the All-Star break.
The Bucks will aim to make it 30 wins and take the lead in the season series with Boston in another star-studded rematch Friday night. Last night’s game is certainly one that the city of Milwaukee would like to put in the rearview quickly, but there were some positives to take away.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s nail-biting win over the Boston Celtics.
Milwaukee Bucks look uncharacteristic on defense all night in win over Celtics
Although Milwaukee’s defensive stature has regressed this season, they undoubtedly have the personnel to be a formidable unit on that side of the ball. However, Boston exploited several areas of the defense that are typically among the Bucks’ strong suits.
The first would certainly be the fast break scoring, where the Bucks entered last night ranked first in the league by allowing their opponents to score just 9.5 points per game, per NBA.com/stats. Being able to get back on defense in a hurry has been a strength for Milwaukee this season, but that was nowhere to be found as Boston racked up an astounding 26 points on the break last night. The Celtics’ ability to capitalize on those transition opportunities helped them inch back into the game, and the Bucks had no answer.
Similarly, the Celtics took advantage of second-chance opportunities in this one by finishing with 16 points in such scenarios. Typically letting up just 11.8 fast break points per game heading into this one, the Bucks certainly let Boston hang around with several extra chances to put points on the scoreboard, which ultimately nearly came back to haunt them in the closing seconds.
Milwaukee is still trying to put the pieces together on the defensive end, and last night’s mishaps can undoubtedly serve as a learning experience. With another look at this team Friday, the Bucks must emphasize keeping Boston in check in these areas.
Milwaukee Bucks get a big lift from Bobby Portis in win over Celtics
With sharpshooter Bryn Forbes sidelined for last night’s contest due to a toe injury, the Bucks needed an extra scoring boost off the bench.
The reserves contributed 34 points in this one, but a sizeable chunk of that final tally came from Bobby Portis, who clocked in another fantastic performance. Milwaukee’s leading scorer in the second unit stepped up without his running mate in the game by tying his season-high with 21 points. He did it very efficiently by shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc and a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Logging just 16 and a half minutes, far below his typical quota, the 26-year-old finished as Milwaukee’s second-leading scorer in the matchup. Eventually winning by just two measly points, the Bucks needed every bucket from the big man, and he repeatedly delivered. Wednesday night’s effort was just the latest stellar performance from Portis, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career with the Bucks this season.
Although the forward has battled through inconsistencies this season, he displayed Wednesday night just how impactful he can be on a nightly basis. With a combined 39 points in his last two games, hopefully Portis can continue his recent hot-streak as these two teams square off again Friday.
Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez step up for the Milwaukee Bucks in win over Celtics
Khris Middleton seemingly turns his game up a notch whenever he plays the Boston Celtics, and he carried on that tradition Wednesday night.
The two-time All-Star had himself a night by scoring a team-high 27 points on 11-20 shooting, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc. Middleton surprisingly left several empty opportunities at the free-throw line as he shot just 3-of-6, but it did not matter in the end. Scoring eight of his points in the final quarter, he helped seal the deal. Also hauling in 13 rebounds and dishing out four assists, the forward put together a fantastic all-around performance, discounting his five turnovers.
Meanwhile, Brook Lopez continued his recent stretch of excellence following the All-Star break by scoring 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a brutal 1-of-5 from deep. It was Lopez’s 12th consecutive game finishing in double-figures as he has started looking more comfortable than ever with the team recently. Also notching five rebounds, three steals, and a clutch block in the closing seconds, the big man had himself a great all-around performance.
Milwaukee needed a big game from these two as Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled to find any rhythm in the matchup. After sitting out in Monday’s win over the Indiana Pacers due to a knee sprain, the two-time MVP was understandably rusty. He finished this one with just 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including 1-of-3 from deep.
The Bucks were able to steal a win Wednesday night, which sets the stage for a thrilling rematch Friday night between these two teams jockeying for postseason position. You can catch the action at 6:30 CST on ESPN as well as Fox Sports Wisconsin.