National Basketball Association
Milwaukee 127, Boston 121
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, April 7, 2022
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials: #34 Kevin Cutler, #16 David Guthrie, #54 Ray Acosta
Attendance: 18046

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday both scored 29 points as the Milwaukee Bucks moved a half-game ahead of the visiting Boston Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference with a 127-121 win on Thursday.

Milwaukee (50-30) led much of the way thanks to advantages of 58-34 for points in the paint, 14-5 on second-chance points and 19-9 on fast breaks -- a byproduct of the Bucks forcing the Celtics into 15 turnovers.

Boston (50-31) kept the game tight thanks to 21-of-50 3-point shooting.

The Celtics' Marcus Smart stepped up with teammate Jayson Tatum (knee) on the sideline, scoring 19 of his 29 points in the second half. Smart shot 7 of 12 from 3-point range.

After trailing by 13 points, Boston pulled ahead with 4:25 remaining when Smart sank a 3-pointer. He added a layup to extend the lead to 121-118 with 2:27 to go.

Milwaukee held Boston scoreless the rest of the way.

Bobby Portis (17 points) delivered a 3-pointer at the 2:11 mark on the last of Holiday's eight assists, tying the score at 121.

Antetokounmpo split a pair of free throws to put Milwaukee ahead with 1:31 left, and Holiday's tip-in with a minute remaining increased the gap to three.

After a lengthy delay while officials reviewed whether a missed 3-point attempt by Boston's Jaylen Brown drew rim, the Celtics' Daniel Theis missed a wide-open look at the rim. Antetokounmpo added another free throw, and then George Hill punctuated Milwaukee's final home game of the regular season with a strip of Brown and fast-break bucket on the other end.

Brown recorded a triple-double of 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, while Theis added another 22 points in the loss.

Milwaukee is now in the driver's seat for the No. 2 seed, with games remaining Friday at Detroit and Sunday at Cleveland. Boston, up by a half-game on the Philadelphia 76ers (49-31), ends its regular season on Sunday in Memphis.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Milwaukee
Marcus Smart 29 Scoring Giannis Antetokounmpo 29
Jaylen Brown 11 Assists Khris Middleton 9
Jaylen Brown 10 Rebounds Giannis Antetokounmpo 11
Jaylen Brown 4 Free Throws Made Giannis Antetokounmpo 7
Payton Pritchard 2 Steals Jrue Holiday 3
Grant Williams 2 Blocks Giannis Antetokounmpo 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 121 49.4 21-50 14-19 30 44 4 8 16
Milwaukee 127 50.5 14-38 15-21 27 48 5 13 11
Upcoming Games
  • Milwaukee will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Bucks have a W/L % of .612 after a win and .645 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Celtics have a W/L % of .620 after a win and .613 after a loss.