Game ID: 22300998
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 33 36 32 21 122MIL 28 28 27 36 119
BOS vs MIL ScoutingBOS vs MIL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 3/12 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Tillman missed 2 since 3/09, returns tonight: 26 min (215% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 19 min since (183% of 10)
BOS availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Porziņģis missed 3 since 3/09, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 26 min since (215% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 18 min since (171% of 10)
NEW Kornet 15 to 21 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/17 · 2 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 4 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 8 min (75% of 11)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 22 min since (180% of 12)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 13 min since (124% of 10)
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/18 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 5 since 3/09, returns tonight: 22 min (74% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 20 min since (160% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 5 min since (46% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 17 min since (162% of 10)
NEW Hauser 21 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restBACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 22 min since (74% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 19 min since (156% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 5 min since (46% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 17 min since (165% of 10)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Hauser 21 to 28 min over the last 4
NEW Kornet 15 to 22 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Hauser missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 24 min (116% of 21)
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 11)
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (85% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 18 min since (148% of 12)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 17 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/23 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 3 since 3/18, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 24 min since (116% of 21)
BACK Queta back 3/17 after 2, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 18 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 4 since 3/18, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 28 min since (136% of 21)
BACK Queta back 3/17 after 2, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kornet 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 21 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/28 · 2 days' restOUT Holiday missed 5 since 3/18, returns tonight: 36 min (108% of 34)
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 27 min since (94% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 28 min since (134% of 21)
NEW Horford 28 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Pritchard 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 16 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Middleton missed 13 since 2/08, out tonight
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/01 after 2, 3 min since (29% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Middleton missed 14 since 2/08, out tonight
OUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Green missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 17 min (155% of 11)
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 7 min (65% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Middleton missed 15 since 2/08, out tonight
OUT Beauchamp missed 3 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (155% of 11)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/12 after 2, 7 min since (65% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/17 · 2 days' restOUT Middleton missed 16 since 2/08, returns tonight: 26 min (91% of 28)
OUT Beauchamp missed 4 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 23 min since (205% of 11)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/12 after 2, 7 min since (65% of 10)
MIL availability going into 3/20 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 5 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 26 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 20 min since (184% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/21 · back-to-backOUT Antetokounmpo missed 2 since 3/17, returns tonight: 35 min (99% of 35)
OUT Beauchamp missed 6 since 3/08, out tonight
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 3 since 3/14, out tonight
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (156% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/24 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 7 since 3/08, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 12)
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 4 since 3/14, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 10)
BACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 35 min since (99% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 29 min since (103% of 28)
BACK Green back 3/12 after 2, 17 min since (150% of 11)
MIL availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 28 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Green 11 to 16 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restBACK Antetokounmpo back 3/21 after 2, 38 min since (109% of 35)
BACK Middleton back 3/17 after 16, 31 min since (110% of 28)
BACK Beauchamp back 3/24 after 7, 4 min since (35% of 12)
BACK Jackson Jr. back 3/24 after 4, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Portis 25 to 30 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 45 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 32 and Tatum at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Milwaukee's 121 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 23 free throws a game to Boston's 16. Call it Boston 122, Milwaukee 112, Boston by 10.
3/12 @ UTA 123-107 — BOS notes
BOS won 123-107. BOS shot 47% (43 of 92) to UTA's 48%, 20 of 49 from three, and went to the line 19 times to UTA's 11 — 17 points from the stripe to their 10. Tatum led with 38 (13 of 25, 4 of 10 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); White added 24, Holiday 16. The hinge was Q1, 44-33: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 22. White was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/14 vs PHX 127-112 — BOS notes
BOS won 127-112. BOS shot 53% (47 of 89) to PHX's 47%, 25 of 50 from three. BOS turned it over 8 times to PHX's 13. The glass went 33-51 against them. Brown led with 37 (14 of 23, 5 of 9 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Tatum added 26, Horford 24. The hinge was Q3, 37-25: a lead of 5 became 17, and the lead reached 20. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
3/17 @ WAS 130-104 — BOS notes
BOS won 130-104. BOS shot 49% (43 of 87) to WAS's 46%, 24 of 50 from three, and went to the line 24 times to WAS's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 12. Tatum led with 30 (8 of 17, 6 of 12 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Hauser added 30, Pritchard 14. The hinge was Q1, 45-27: from level to 18 ahead, and the lead reached 36. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
3/18 vs DET 119-94 — BOS notes
BOS won 119-94. BOS shot 45% (43 of 95) to DET's 43%, 22 of 49 from three. The glass went 53-43 for them. Brown led with 31 (11 of 20, 3 of 6 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Pritchard added 23, White 22. The hinge was Q3, 33-20: a lead of 13 became 26, and the lead reached 29. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/20 vs MIL 122-119 — BOS notes
BOS won 122-119. BOS shot 47% (40 of 85) to MIL's 54%, 18 of 40 from three, and went to the line 29 times to MIL's 14 — 24 points from the stripe to their 12. BOS turned it over 9 times to MIL's 14. Tatum led with 31 (9 of 19, 4 of 7 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); White added 23, Brown 21. The hinge was Q2, 36-28: a lead of 5 became 13, and the lead reached 21. Horford was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/22 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Cunningham at 18 and Fontecchio at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 46 from three, 19 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holiday (2 straight), Hauser (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 46 percent from three to Detroit's 31 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Detroit 109.
3/23 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; DeRozan at 25 and Dosunmu at 24 a game. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 45 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holiday (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 106 a night to Chicago's 117 and the arc, Boston at 45 percent from three to Chicago's 38. Call it Boston 117, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
3/25 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 25 and Johnson at 23 a game. Without Young (14 straight), Johnson (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; Tatum at 29 and Brown at 28 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holiday (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 106 a night to Atlanta's 114 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-3 a night and Atlanta minus-1. Call it Boston 119, Atlanta 114.
3/28 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 24 and Bogdanović at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Young (16 straight), Johnson (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 27 a game. Without Holiday (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 110 a night to Atlanta's 116. Call it Boston 119, Atlanta 115, Atlanta keeping it close.
3/10 @ LAC 124-117 — MIL notes
MIL won 124-117. MIL shot 49% (43 of 87) to LAC's 45%, 17 of 38 from three, and went to the line 27 times to LAC's 10 — 21 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 41-52 against them. Lillard led with 35 (11 of 19, 7 of 13 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Antetokounmpo added 34, Beasley 17. The hinge was Q3, 32-23: MIL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 6. MIL trailed 59-62 at the half and won the second half 65-55. Beasley was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/12 @ SAC 94-129 — MIL notes
MIL lost 94-129. MIL shot 37% (30 of 82) to SAC's 53%, 7 of 39 from three, and went to the line 35 times to SAC's 16 — 27 points from the stripe to their 13. MIL turned it over 13 times to SAC's 8, and SAC turned those into 11 steals. G. Antetokounmpo led with 30 (10 of 17, 10 of 14 at the line); Beasley added 11, Portis 11. Q3 was theirs, 22-20, the deficit cut from 19 to 17, but the other 3 periods went 109-72 against them. Lillard's -22 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/14 vs PHI 114-105 — MIL notes
MIL won 114-105. MIL shot 54% (39 of 72) to PHI's 49%, 16 of 36 from three, and went to the line 24 times to PHI's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. Antetokounmpo led with 32 (9 of 12, 14 of 18 at the line); Lopez added 19, Lillard 17. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: MIL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 9. MIL trailed 53-61 at the half and won the second half 61-44. Lillard was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/17 vs PHX 140-129 — MIL notes
MIL won 140-129. MIL shot 54% (51 of 94) to PHX's 59%, 24 of 41 from three. Lillard led with 31 (10 of 19, 4 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Portis added 31, Middleton 22. The hinge was Q2, 43-24: a lead of 3 became 22, and the lead reached 25. Beverley was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/20 @ BOS 119-122 — MIL notes
MIL lost 119-122. MIL shot 54% (45 of 84) to BOS's 47%, 17 of 35 from three, and got to the line 14 times to BOS's 29. MIL turned it over 14 times to BOS's 9. Lillard led with 32 (11 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Portis added 24, Middleton 22. Q4 was theirs, 36-21, the deficit cut from 18 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 101-83 against them. Beverley's -13 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/21 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 23 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 25 a game. Without Antetokounmpo (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Clowney (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 43 percent from three to Brooklyn's 35 and the defense, Brooklyn allowing 112 a night to Milwaukee's 120. Call it Milwaukee 117, Brooklyn 113, Brooklyn keeping it close.
3/24 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 28 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 42 percent from three to OKC's 36 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-4 a night and Milwaukee minus-2. Call it OKC 118, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/26 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 45 from three, 16 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 28 and Lillard at 24 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Vanderbilt (21 straight), Vincent (43 straight), Wood (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 27 free throws a game to Milwaukee's 16 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 111 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it Milwaukee 121, the Lakers 116.
3/28 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Williamson at 23 and McCollum at 22 a game. Without Ingram (3 straight), Daniels (20 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 15 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 27 and Lillard at 26 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 104 a night to Milwaukee's 116 and the arc, Milwaukee at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 36. Call it New Orleans 116, Milwaukee 113, Milwaukee keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SM S. Mykhailiuk
XT X. Tillman
MILAG A. Green
BL B. Lopez
BP B. Portis
DG D. Gallinari
DL D. Lillard
JC J. Crowder
KM K. Middleton
MB M. Beasley
PB P. Beverley
PC P. Connaughton
BOS/MIL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Celtics open big lead, hold on to beat Bucks without Giannis, 122-119
BOSTON -- — Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley made a spin move in the lane, floated a jumper over Boston's Luke Kornet and then headed back on defense in a crouch, holding his hand a few inches above the floor to mock the Celtics center.
Too small?
No, too soon.
Irked by the insult to his teammate, Payton Pritchard erupted for 10 points in the quarter, matching the entire Bucks output and helping the Celtics open a big lead before holding on for a 122-119 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
“It kind of lit a fire under me,” said the 6-foot-1 Pritchard, who had 19 points and six rebounds — most of it in the second quarter, when Boston turned a five-point lead into an 18-point cushion. “He's trying to clown one of our teammates. So I definitely took it a little personally.”
Jayson Tatum scored 31 points for Boston, which took advantage of the absence of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to win its seventh straight game. The Celtics have not lost to an Eastern Conference team at home all season.
Derrick White had 23 points and eight assists, while Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points and eight boards for Boston.
Damian Lillard scored 32, including a 3-pointer in the final second. Bobby Portis had 24 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who had won two in a row.
Although the game featured two East division leaders, the Celtics hold an 11-game edge over the second-seeded Bucks in the race for home-court advantage. Any other juice in the matchup was lost when Antetokounmpo was ruled out for the second straight game with a left hamstring problem.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the game wasn't necessarily a playoff preview.
“Nothing’s guaranteed in life,” he said. “We may see them; they may see us; we may not. You never know what’s going to happen. I know both teams are developing an identity and there's obviously a DNA there that both teams have. But you don't want to overthink things. And you don’t take anything for granted.”
It was 10-all when the Celtics scored 13 of the next 15 points to open an 11-point lead. The Bucks cut it to two before the end of the first quarter, but Boston used a 21-8 run – with 10 points coming from Pritchard -- to make it 56-38.
Pritchard also had the most rebounds (four) and assists (three) in the quarter.
"Everybody always had talked about his shooting," Mazzulla said. “But I think this year, in particular, he’s been impacting by his rebounding, impacting by his defense, his pace. He’s just becoming a really well-rounded player who knows he can have a positive impact on the game in many different ways, and it’s a huge asset for us.”
Pritchard also fired up the crowd when he took an offensive board away from Brook Lopez , a player a full foot taller. Frustrated, the 7-foot-1 center pushed him away in disgust.
Pritchard celebrated by flexing his muscles and slapping hands with Kristaps Porzingis ; Tatum waved his arms to encourage the crowd, which rose to give Pritchard a standing ovation.
“Just a winning play," Pritchard said. “He’s a 7-footer and I’m 6-foot -- you know, little in the NBA standard. I’m just a competitor.”
Boston led by as many as 21 points but the Bucks didn't get within single digits until the final minutes, when they scored 10 straight points — eight of them, including back-to-back long 3-pointers, from Portis — to turn a 13-point lead into a one-possession game.
But Portis missed a 3, Tatum hit a pair of free throws and then the Celtics star drove for a layup to make it 114-107 with 1:38 to play.
Antetokounmpo also missed the Bucks’ 140-129 home victory over Phoenix on Sunday. He has missed five games this season; Milwaukee is 3-2 without him.
The Greek star, 29, ranks third in the NBA in scoring (30.8), sixth in rebounding (11.2) and 15th in assists (6.4) this season.