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Keys to the Game: Celtics 120, Bucks 104

Marc D'Amico
Team Reporter and Analyst

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Key Moment

The Celtics dominated the late portion of Tuesday’s third quarter, and that dominance propelled them to a 2-0 series lead over Milwaukee.

Boston, which led for nearly the entirety of the game, led by 11 points early in the third quarter before Milwaukee made a brief run to make it a six-point game. Tony Snell and Eric Bledsoe combined for five points in only 25 seconds to pull the Bucks to within 68-62 with 6:50 remaining in the quarter.

The C’s didn’t flinch. Instead, they swung, and they knocked the Bucks out.

Boston responded with a speedy 12-2 run that built up a lead that would hold comfortably for the remainder of the night. The run took only two minutes and 20 seconds to be completed.

The spurt began with what the Celtics have become known for: ball movement. Four passes in a span of just nine seconds led to a pick-and-roll with Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes, and as Baynes rolled to the rim, Rozier tossed a perfect lob pass over the defense to his big man. Baynes caught it, pump faked, and then kissed the ball off the glass for two.

Milwaukee turned the ball over on its next possession and Jaylen Brown immediately capitalized with a 3-pointer from the left wing. His next bucket, following a Giannis Antetokounmpo jumper, was as smooth as they come. Brown drove hard to the basket, hung in the air as his defender flew past him, and dropped in a layup. He then added in another 3, this time from right in front of Milwaukee’s bench, with 4:32 left in the period.

Shane Larkin capped the run with a driving, reverse layup 32 seconds later.

That’s all Boston needed to cruise to another victory. The Bucks fell silent from that moment on, and the C’s took control of the series with a 120-106 win that provided them with a 2-0 series lead.

Key Player

Jaylen Brown had that look in his eye Tuesday night; that look that said, “No one can stop me.”

And no one could during Boston’s Game-2 victory.

Brown scored a game-high 30 points (tied with Giannis Antetokounmpo) while looking like a star in front of a national audience. He scored in a variety of ways, from powerful drives to the basket, to 3-point swishes (and even a bank), to mid-range jumpers. He finished the contest having his 12 of his 22 shots, and five of his 2 3-pointers.

Brown also added in five rebounds and an assist, all while providing relentless defense at the other end of the court.

As badly as Milwaukee wanted to stop the second-year wing during Game 2, it just couldn’t get the job done. Brown dominated the game, and the Celtics dominated the night.

Box Score Nuggets

  • Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo tied for the game high in scoring with 30 points apiece.
  • Boston committed only seven turnovers in the game.
  • The Celtics limited Milwaukee to only 75 shot attempts, an incredibly low total.
  • Milwaukee shot 60.0 percent from the field yet lost by 16 points.
  • Marcus Morris (18 points), Greg Monroe (12 points) and Shane Larkin (11 points) each scored in double-figures off of Boston's bench.
  • Terry Rozier scored 23 points and also tied with Antetokounmpo for the game's high total in assists with eight.
  • Antetokounmpo threatened for a triple-double with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He led outright or tied for the lead in all three categories.
  • Both teams scored 15 fast break points and 58 points in the paint.
  • Boston outscored Milwaukee by 19 points while Morris was on the floor, and also while Rozier was on the floor.
  • Jayson Tatum scored only four points, but he grabbed a game-high four steals - one more than Milwaukee's entire team.
  • The Celtics shot 13-for-31 (41.9 percent) from long range while making six more 3s than the Bucks.
  • Khris Middleton scored 25 points for Milwaukee.

Quote of the Night

Brad Stevens on Giannis Antetokounmpo.