Key Moment
In a battle between two NBA titans, it was the Boston Celtics who dominated the second half of their Christmas Day matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Boston owned just a one-point lead at halftime but extended that lead to as many as 22 points during the second half. The Celtics took complete control of the game during the latter minutes of the third quarter and the opening minutes of the fourth, when they turned what was a seven-point lead into a 19-point advantage.
Jayson Tatum, who scored a game-high 41 points, initiated the run during his takeover stretch of the third period. He scored six straight Celtics points in only 49 seconds of action before Robert Williams (layup), Derrick White (free throws) and Grant Williams (3-pointer) joined in on the fun to rack up a 13-6 run to close the third period. That provided Boston with a 100-86 advantage heading into the final period.
Key Player
Jayson Tatum was unstoppable Sunday evening. He dominated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Plain and simple.
Tatum scored 41 points for the second time in three days. This time around, he did it by canning 14 of his 22 shots, three of his seven 3-pointers, and all 10 of his shots from the free-throw line.
Miraculously, Tatum strung together those scoring numbers while committing only one turnover – an incredibly impressive statistic given how often the ball was in his hands.
Tatum also contributed seven rebounds to lead the team, five assists, and a game-high three steals to help Boston outscore Milwaukee by 18 points while he was on the floor.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jayson Tatum (14-for-22) and Jaylen Brown (11-for-19) combined to shoot 25-for-41 en route to a combined 70 points.
- Tatum scored a game-high 41, which matched his output from Friday's win.
- Brown scored 29.
- Tatum made all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
- Boston shot 58.8 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from long distance during the win.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 27 points, but he shot just 9-for-22.
- The C's dished out 29 assists compared to just 11 turnovers.
- Grant Williams notched 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
- Marcus Smart dished out a game-high eight assists.
- Derrick White and Grant Williams led the game with plus-20 plus/minus ratings.
- Jrue Holiday played well and notched 23 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.
- No member of the Celtics grabbed more than seven rebounds.
Quote of the Night
"I thought he was one of the more impactful players on the floor, because of his poise and ability to see the floor."
- Joe Mazzulla on Marcus Smart