The Milwaukee Bucks could get their offense on track and watched as the Boston Celtics set a franchise record with 24 three-pointers (24 for 55) in a 117-113 Boston victory at TD Garden on Thursday night.
The Bucks, who have thrived on the three-pointer in the first seven games, hit just 9 of 29 on Thursday night.
They trailed by 15 heading into the fourth quarter but used a 12-0 run to open the final frame and make things close.
The Bucks climbed to within two points with under two minutes left on a Malcolm Brogdon layup.
The Celtics were in the process of going cold in the final minutes, failing to score a field goal in the final 3 minutes and 48 seconds of the game. But the Bucks couldn’t crawl all the way back themselves.
The Bucks best chance came with Eric Bledsoe at the free throw line, down two with 12-seconds left. Bledsoe missed the first and made the second.
After Kyrie Irving made a pair of free throws at the other end, the Bucks could have tied it with a three pointer. But the Bucks tried twice to score inside instead of taking a three-point shot attempt, which is what they’ve done throughout the early portion of the season. Bledsoe missed a layup and Giannis was fouled, making 1 of 2 at the line.
A pair of Al Horford free throws pushed the difference to four and that was it.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup after missing one game with a concussion. He had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bucks. Milwaukee is off now until Sunday when they host Sacramento at Fiserv Forum.
