National Basketball Association
Boston 112, Milwaukee 90
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 28, 2019
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #11 Derrick Collins, #14 Ed Malloy, #39 Tyler Ford, #19 James Capers
Attendance: 17561

Al Horford and Jaylen Brown hit 3-pointers in a 12-point, third-quarter flurry Sunday afternoon that erased a momentary deficit and propelled the visiting Boston Celtics to a 112-90 victory over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the opener of their Eastern Conference best-of-seven semifinal playoff series.

After beating the Bucks just once in three tries in the regular season, the fourth-seeded Celtics will look to go up 2-0 when the clubs tangle again in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

The Celtics led most of the game but found themselves down 56-54 after Brook Lopez nailed a 3-pointer in the second minute of the third quarter.

Boston responded with its 12-0 run, which Horford capped with his 3-pointer for a 66-56 lead with 7:37 left in the period.

The Celtics went on to lead by as many as 19 in the quarter and gradually pulled away in the final quarter after the Bucks rallied within 12.

Milwaukee's comeback effort was handcuffed by the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo shot just 7-for-21 in the game. He nonetheless managed to lead the Bucks in scoring with 22 points.

Kyrie Irving was the game's top scorer with 26 points, completing a double-double with a game-high 11 assists for the Celtics, who swept Indiana in the first round.

Horford made three 3-pointers to account for almost half his 20 points, while Brown finished with 19, Gordon Hayward 13 and Terry Rozier 11.

The Celtics outshot the Bucks 54.0 percent to 34.8.

Horford also had a double-double for Boston, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.

Khris Middleton registered a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Bucks, who were held under 100 points just five times during the regular season before scoring 119 or more in all four games of their first-round sweep over Detroit.

The 22-point margin of defeat was Milwaukee's largest of the season.

Nikola Mirotic was a third scorer in double figures for the Bucks with 13 points.

Milwaukee's best stretch of the game came just past the midpoint of the second quarter, after it had fallen behind 40-25.

Mirotic had a pair of 3-pointers in a 15-0 run that drew the Bucks even, although the Celtics were able to reclaim a 52-50 lead by halftime.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving 26 Scoring Giannis Antetokounmpo 22
Kyrie Irving 11 Assists Khris Middleton 6
Al Horford 11 Rebounds Khris Middleton 10
Gordon Hayward 2 Free Throws Made Giannis Antetokounmpo 5
Aron Baynes 1 Steals Eric Bledsoe 2
Al Horford 3 Blocks Giannis Antetokounmpo 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 112 54.0 13-31 5-8 25 51 11 5 13
Milwaukee 90 34.8 13-39 15-24 19 44 2 6 11
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game at home against Boston. The Bucks have a W/L % of .656 after a win and .952 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Milwaukee. The Celtics have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .559 after a loss.