Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the court after missing 15 games with a strained right calf, but his Milwaukee Bucks fell 108-81 to the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Payton Pritchard had a team-high 25 points and nine assists for the Celtics, who received 18 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs, from rookie Hugo Gonzalez.
Derrick White added 18 points and nine assists for Boston, which made 20 of 50 3-point attempts.
The Celtics played without leading scorer Jaylen Brown (illness) and starting center Neemias Queta (rest). Brown is averaging 29.0 points per game, and Queta had 27 points and 17 rebounds in the Celtics’ Sunday win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Antetokounmpo, who played for the first time since Jan. 23, produced team-high totals of 19 points and 11 rebounds. He entered the game averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.
Milwaukee failed to score more than 23 points in any quarter and was outscored 25-16 in the fourth. The Bucks, who shot 27 of 74 (36.5%) from the field, received 13 points from Ousmane Dieng and 12 from Bobby Portis. Kyle Kuzma was a healthy scratch.
Milwaukee scored the game’s first seven points but trailed 30-20 after one quarter. Boston built a 22-point lead in the second quarter on a White 3-pointer and had a 57-43 advantage at halftime.
The Bucks cut the deficit to nine points early in the third quarter, but a 15-0 run gave Boston a 74-50 lead with 6:22 remaining in the quarter after a fastbreak layup by Gonzalez. Milwaukee scored the next 10 points, but the Bucks trailed 83-65 after three quarters.
Boston had its largest lead, 102-71, following a Pritchard 3-pointer with 4:06 to play.
The game was the third meeting between Boston and Milwaukee this season. The Bucks earned a 116-101 home victory on Dec. 11, and the Celtics prevailed 107-79 at home on Feb. 1.
–Field Level Media
