BOSTON — Jaylen Brown delivered a remarkable performance, scoring 30 points, while Payton Pritchard made a significant impact off the bench by sinking eight 3-pointers and finishing with 28 points. This led the Boston Celtics to a 119-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.
Jayson Tatum, who was honored as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, contributed 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, further solidifying Boston’s impressive start to the season with a record of 4-0. Derrick White also played a pivotal role by scoring 13 points and dishing out eight assists.
For the Bucks, Damian Lillard topped the score sheet with 33 points, along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 points as well as 10 rebounds and six assists, but the Milwaukee team is now on a three-game losing streak following their initial win.
The contest remained competitive until late in the third quarter when Pritchard drained a 3-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining, giving Boston a crucial 90-82 lead.
Following that, the Celtics erupted for the next seven points, extending their advantage to 15, highlighted by another 3-pointer from Pritchard during the scoring run.
Key observations from the game revealed that the Bucks, coming off a 13-point loss against Brooklyn, displayed resilience until Boston’s offensive assault took charge. Meanwhile, the Celtics continued their impressive shooting from beyond the arc, having set a franchise record with 29 3s in their season opener against the Knicks, and Friday Night was no different as they hit 18 of 47 attempts from three-point land.
A turning point in the game occurred when the Bucks held a slim lead of 80-79, but Boston quickly countered with an explosive 18-2 run that included stretches of the final two minutes of the third and the first 1:37 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Notably, Pritchard’s 8-for-12 performance from beyond the arc brought him one short of his personal best of nine 3-pointers, achieved on April 9, 2023.
Looking ahead, the Bucks are set to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday as they wrap up their three-game road trip, while the Celtics will travel to Indiana on Wednesday.