The Celtics end the season against the Bucks as the rivalry reignites
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The Celtics end the season against the Bucks as the rivalry reignites

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

  • Tim Bontemps, ESPNDecember 7, 2024, 12:35 a.m. ET

BOSTON – For the third straight time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks found themselves in a competitive game with the Boston Celtics.

And for the third straight year, it was the defending champions who made enough plays down the stretch, this time for a 111-105 victory in front of a sellout crowd at TD Garden that completed the season series 3-0 victory.

“We think we’re in the game with them right now, but we haven’t beaten them yet and we think we have a great chance to get better,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “We’re going to get a lot better, and they’re going to improve a little bit, but we’re going to get a lot better.”

“So, yeah, we’re hoping we can play them again in the playoffs in the final rounds and we’ll see how it goes. But right now they are the champions, and until someone beats them, they are the champions.” “

It would have been easy to confuse this game with one in April or May. There was great intensity on the field and in the stands, and the officials allowed for physicality throughout. Still, the teams combined for 15 turnovers and the stars on both sides – Jayson Tatum (34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jaylen Brown (25 points) for Boston, as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 points and 11 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (31). points) for Milwaukee – everyone made huge contributions.

The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis (injury management before a game here Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies), Derrick White (1 of 10, 0 of 8 from 3) and Payton Pritchard (scoreless in 24 minutes). probably had their worst games of the season. Boston also didn’t score a single point on second chances (11-0 in favor of Milwaukee).

But it still wasn’t enough to tip the scales in the Bucks’ favor.

“It wasn’t a playoff game, but it was a special night,” Tatum said. “This is my eighth year, and these nights when you’re playing a really good team with some special players and the crowd is really involved and the guys are making plays and feeding off the energy of their teammates and the crowd and the fans how often we won games in moments like that.

“It’s just another special night at TD Garden that I was a part of.”

If there was any doubt about the intensity of the evening, it was evident in the third quarter when Al Horford’s wife, Amelia, stood up from her front-row seat and asked the crowd to cheer louder when Antetokounmpo was at the foul line.

“Yeah, no question,” Horford said immediately when asked if it felt different playing against the Bucks. “There are certain teams where that’s just the case, and since JT’s rookie year we’ve gone to seven against those guys.”

“Year after year both teams have had great success in the East and every time we play them it’s different and that’s just the reality.”

For much of Friday’s game, it looked like the Bucks might finally get the upper hand. Boston struggled to get on offense from deep, missing 15 consecutive 3-point shots from the end of the first quarter to the start of the third quarter. And Antetokounmpo repeatedly fought his way to the rim, dropping defenders left and right, while Lillard — despite not getting a few continuation calls he would have liked — still had success attacking Boston’s defense.

And yet, with 90 seconds left, Antetokounmpo found himself on the left wing and, as Horford pulled away from him, decided to go for his first 3-point attempt of the night. But he missed, and a quick reaction from Horford at the other end gave Boston a four-point lead that it never relinquished.

“As I was coming down, I saw Al Horford backing up,” Antetokounmpo said. “I felt like I could do it. I shot it. In my opinion it went well. S—, if I had the chance to do it again, I would do it again. So I’ve done it several times.” I would do it again.

Maybe that chance will come in the playoffs the next time these teams meet. The Bucks were 2-8 when they lost to the Celtics in Milwaukee a few weeks ago, but have since fought their way back to .500 by winning 9 of the 11 games in between.

The question now is how much they can improve before a possible second leg.

“I’m not going to talk about moral victories and everything, but they’re a great team,” said Bucks forward Khris Middleton, who came off the bench and scored 11 points on 2-for-10 shooting in 23 minutes in his season debut. “We want to get back to where they were last year and they’re trying to get back to where they were last year too. So it’s just about doing our best and trying to be the best team. That’s me.’ Actually, I’m not worried about anything else.”

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