Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double and Jrue Holiday scored a game-high 25 points as the visiting Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics 101-89 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. Holiday added nine rebounds, Bobby Portis put up a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds and Grayson Allen scored 11 points.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 21 points and Al Horford added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown scored 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting and committed seven turnovers. Marcus Smart added 10 points despite playing though a shoulder stinger and a bruised thigh and Derrick White scored 10 for the Celtics, who lost for the first time in the playoffs after sweeping Brooklyn in the first round.
Game 2 will be Tuesday night in Boston.
The Celtics made 18 of 50 3-pointers, but just 10 of 34 2-pointers.
Portis made a 3-pointer to complete a 7-0 run that gave Milwaukee an 87-72 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Horford made a 3-pointer to pull the Celtics within 12, but Holiday made a 3-pointer and Antetokounmpo scored on a put-back dunk for a 94-78 lead midway through the quarter.
Grant Williams’ 3-pointer trimmed the lead to 96-84 with 3:50 remaining, but Holiday made two free throws and the Bucks maintained a double-digit lead.
Tatum made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Boston’s deficit to 58-52 early in the third quarter.
Milwaukee extended the lead to 68-57 when Brook Lopez made a layup midway through the quarter.
The Celtics closed to within six points three times before the Bucks took a 78-70 lead at the end of the period.
An 11-2 run gave Boston an early 22-14 lead.
The Bucks answered with three 3-pointers during a 13-2 run that gave them a 27-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Payton Pritchard made two 3-pointers to help the Celtics grab their last lead of the game at 32-31.
Allen made three 3-pointers and Antetokounmpo scored the final eight points of a 25-14 run that gave the Bucks a 56-46 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
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