Boston (AP) — Guard Patrick Beverley of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbled in the lane, dribbled over Luke Kornet of Boston, and ducked back to defend while mockingly holding his hand a few inches over the floor.
Too little?
Not at all, too soon.
Astonished by his teammate’s remark, Payton Pritchard scored ten points in the fourth, equal the total number of points scored by the Bucks. This helped the Celtics establish a commanding lead, which they maintained as they defeated Milwaukee 122-119 on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-1 Pritchard, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds, most of which came in the second quarter as Boston expanded an early five-point advantage to an 18-point lead, said, “It kind of lit a fire under me.” His attempt is to make fun of one of our teammates. I therefore took it a little too personally.
Boston won its eighth straight game thanks to the 31 points scored by Jayson Tatum, who took advantage of the absence of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. This season, the Celtics have not suffered a home loss to a team from the Eastern Conference.
For Boston, Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Derrick White finished with 23 points and eight assists.
32 points by Damian Lillard, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Bobby Portis possessed 24
Despite the fact that the two East division leaders squared off in this game, the Celtics are ahead of the Bucks by 11 games in the battle for home-court advantage. When Antetokounmpo was sidelined for the second straight game due to a left hamstring injury, any remaining momentum in the game was gone.
According to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, the match wasn’t exactly a preview of the postseason.
“Life is full of uncertainties,” he remarked. “It’s possible that we won’t see them, and vice versa. You can never predict what will occur. I am aware that both teams are forging their own identities, and that both teams undoubtedly share DNA. However, it’s best not to overthink things. Furthermore, you never take anything for granted.
