Facing the NBA-leading Boston Celtics got the Milwaukee Bucks to break out of their slump and deliver their most dominating performance of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to make sure the Bucks maintain that same sense of urgency when they are playing less formidable foes.
“There was a respect-slash-fear factor also that’s very important for this team, that we have to go out there and play at our best today,” Antetokounmpo said on Thursday after the Bucks trounced the tired-looking Celtics 135-102 for just their second win in six games.
Photo: AFP
Bobby Portis and Antetokounmpo combined to score 20 straight points during a 25-0 spurt midway through the first half. The Bucks led by as many as 43 points in Jrue Holiday’s return to Milwaukee and their 75-38 lead at the break was their fourth-biggest halftime advantage in franchise history.
“Hopefully, we can keep this up, not just against the Boston Celtics, not just when we have two days off or not when we have not played well,” Antetokounmpo said. “Even if we’ve played well and even if we’ve played bad, be able to come in the game and play with the same urgency, and with the same focus and with the same energy.”
The Bucks had not played a game since losing 132-116 at home to the Utah Jazz on Monday in a game they had trailed by 31 at halftime. The Celtics were back in action one night after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in overtime.
Bucks guard Malik Beasley said the Bucks had a meeting after the Jazz game on how to improve that focused mainly on playing with more effort and energy.
“I think we did that,” Beasley said. “We came out and competed. I think the main thing for us, we came out physical. We hit first instead of getting hit.”
Portis scored 28, Antetokounmpo added 24 and both players had 12 rebounds. Damian Lillard chipped in with 21 points while returning to Milwaukee’s lineup after missing the Jazz game for personal reasons.
“I love the way we responded,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “We responded like champions today.”
Boston allowed their highest points total of the season and rested all their starters for the entire second half. The Bucks did not play any of their starters in the fourth quarter.
Payton Pritchard scored 21 and Sam Hauser 15 for the Celtics, who missed 16 of their first 17 three-point attempts and ended up going nine of 34 from beyond the arc. Milwaukee shot 56.5 percent overall.
“We just didn’t have it tonight,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “That can happen from time to time.”
After Boston’s Oshae Brissett dunked to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 31-23 with 2 minutes,14 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Celtics would not score again for more than six-and-a-half minutes.
Portis scored 13 points and Antetokounmpo had seven during that 25-0 spurt. Portis, who had been one of 12 from three-point range this month, was five of six from beyond the arc.
Holiday scored six points and shot two of nine in his first game at Milwaukee since the Bucks traded him in September last year as part of the package to acquire Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland sent him to the Celtics a few days later.
Holiday played for the Bucks from 2020 to last year. He received a standing ovation when a tribute video aired on the Fiserv Forum scoreboard during the first timeout.
“It was cool to kind of see that,” Holiday said “The fans here have always been great.”
Elsewhere, the Suns eclipsed the Lakers 127-109, the Mavericks mastered the Knicks 128-124, the Thunder trounced the Trail Blazers 139-77 and the Cavaliers defeated the Nets 111-102 in Paris.
Additional reporting by staff writer
A dominant Cade Cunningham on Thursday scored 42 points as the NBA-leading Detroit Pistons swatted aside the New York Knicks 126-111 on the NBA’s return from its brief All-Star Game break. Billed as a must-watch clash between two Eastern Conference rivals each in red-hot form, the game at Madison Square Garden became an exhibition for Cunningham, who also provided 13 assists and eight rebounds. The 24-year-old burnished his credentials as a Most Valuable Player contender, helping a young, surprise-package Pistons side to improve the best record in the entire NBA this season so far, to 41-13. After the game, Cunningham said that he
LATE RALLY FAiLS: Jalen Duren led a late Detroit Pistons fightback, but it ultimately fizzled as a resolute San Antonio Spurs saw out the game Victor Wembanyama on Monday led a defensive masterclass as the San Antonio Spurs outmuscled the Detroit Pistons 114-103 in an intense and aggressive clash between the NBA’s two most in-form teams. Sitting second in the Western Conference, the Spurs were pushed hard for their ninth straight victory by the East-topping Pistons, who had entered the home court matchup on a five-game winning streak of their own. Defenses dominated the first meeting between the two sides this season, with Wembanyama making six blocks and 17 rebounds to fuel transitions as the Spurs pulled clear in the latter stages. While the Pistons’ shooting was at
Amanda Anisimova on Thursday ended a tearful Mirra Andreeva’s Dubai title defense with a comeback 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) victory in the quarter-finals. The second-seeded American trailed fifth seed Andreeva by a set and a break before rallying to complete a 2 hour, 38 minute win. She booked a place in the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the fourth time in her career. “I was almost in tears there at the end,” Anisimova said. “It made me emotional seeing her like that. I feel we both won today.” Anisimova was to face fellow American Jessica Pegula, who beat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-3,
CHAMPS DETHRONED: Megan Keller’s spectacular overtime strike secured the US 2-1 win over defending champions Canada in the women’s ice hockey final Alysa Liu on Thursday saw off her Japanese rivals to claim the US’ first Olympic women’s figure skating gold in a generation, while the US beat fierce rivals Canada in the women’s ice hockey final. Liu danced her way to the top of the podium in the free skate, surging from third place behind Japan’s Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto after Tuesday’s short program. Liu, the reigning world champion, scored 150.20 for a career-best overall total of 226.79 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, denying Sakomoto a fairy-tale triumph in her final competition. The 20-year-old put the US women back on top of
RSS