Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from the NBA's steadfast and information protocols to people 36 points this morning, but Wesley Matthews stole the spotlight erstwhile helium knocked down a three-pointer with 30.3 seconds near to springiness the Milwaukee Bucks their archetypal pb en way to a 117-113 triumph implicit the Boston Celtics.
Trailing by 13 points with conscionable implicit 5 minutes remaining successful the 4th quarter, Milwaukee appeared destined to travel up abbreviated earlier Antetokounmpo poured connected 12 points to decorativeness retired the term.
According to ESPN's triumph probability, the Celtics were a 98.9 per cent accidental of winning the lucifer erstwhile they led by 13 points with 5:15 remaining successful the game.
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Boston's decision near the NBA satellite stunned, with respective pundits taking to societal media to instrumentality purpose astatine the Celtics.
Meanwhile, seeing his archetypal enactment since December 12, Antetokounmpo played 30 minutes and connected connected 13 of 23 shots portion shooting 10 for 15 from the free-throw line.
"He's a feline who likes his reps, the touches and feels helium gets," Bucks manager Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo. "It took a fractional for him to benignant of sound the cobwebs disconnected but helium had a large 2nd fractional and I'm truly impressed by him."
Milwaukee besides got centre Bobby Portis and defender Donte DiVincenzo backmost from COVID-19 protocols successful clip for the televised Christmas showdown.
Boston had conscionable 8 players disposable aft putting Dennis Schroder successful the protocols earlier this greeting but took power down Jaylen Brown, who scored 14 of his 25 points successful the opening quarter. Jayson Tatum besides scored 25 for Boston, which led by arsenic galore arsenic 19 and went into halftime with a 35-22 advantage.
Milwaukee trimmed the shortage to 1 erstwhile Middleton knocked down a three-pointer with 3:39 near successful the third. But the Celtics answered with 5 consecutive and opened the 4th with a 8-0 run, including six from Parker, who converted a three-point play to marque it 102-90 with 10:15 to play.
Portis' put-back with 8 minutes near was the commencement of the Bucks' charge, tying the crippled astatine 111 erstwhile Antetokounmpo scored and drew a foul with 1:26 left. He missed the escaped propulsion and Brown made a brace connected the different extremity to enactment Boston backmost successful front.
But Matthews buried his 3 for a 114-113 lead, and the Bucks held on.
Portis finished with 16 points, portion DiVincenzo, who hadn't played since suffering a near ft wounded successful the playoffs past season, got his archetypal and lone points connected a 3-pointer precocious successful the 3rd quarter.
"I deliberation we tin lone spell up from here," Celtics defender Payton Richard said. "We're learning however we're gonna decorativeness games. So for us, we've got to instrumentality it arsenic a bully thing. We're growing, truthful yet we'll get bully astatine that country and we'll past beryllium capable to instrumentality attraction of it."
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