The Milwaukee Bucks were given a lesson by the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, as their Eastern Conference rivals gained a huge mental advantage with a 41-point winning lead over their opponents.
In a match-up that could well be the Eastern Conference finals later this year, the Celtics proved to the Bucks that they are more than capable of putting in a show-stopping performance in Milwaukee territory. The Celtics stunned the Bucks 140-99 as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown flexed their stunning partnership, leaving Giannis Antetokounmpo visibly frustrated.
Both the Celtics and the Bucks have already clinched play-off spots, although the winner of the Eastern Conference is yet to be determined. The Bucks are still ahead of both the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, but Thursday's game did not go down well with Giannis.
Fresh off their 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks were looking to close out the Eastern Conference with huge back-to-back clashes against the Celtics and the 76ers. Giannis netted 38 points against the Pacers while Jrue Holiday hit a career-high 51, and many feared the Celtics could be blown away again.
But it was the Celtics duo that took control in Bucks house instead, with Brown and Tatum delivering a masterclass. The Celtics are now just two wins behind the Bucks, and will be hoping that fellow rivals 76ers can cause another home upset.
Giannis slumped onto the sidelines in the fourth quarter as he was pulled from the game due to the unassailable lead, and with play-offs already in the back of head coach Mike Budenholzer's mind. The Greek star was fuming after the game, and fired a message to his fellow team-mates.
"If you don’t play hard, if you don’t go out there to make it tough for them, they’re going to kick our a**, simple as that," Giannis said, via Lily Zhao of FOX6. "It’s up to us to see how we’re going to deal with it."
Giannis managed 24 points on the night but was kept quiet for most of the night by a determined Celtics defence. The Bucks just couldn't get things going and grew frustrated as they missed multiple three-point attempts, and accepted defeat early into the second half.
The defeat can go one of two ways, either start a late decline just before the play-offs or it may inspire them to come back stronger at the perfect time. It's unlikely to be the last time they play the Celtics this season, and it makes for a stunning potential rematch.
