Paul George recorded 27 points and Jayson Tatum contributed 21 as the Boston Celtics claimed a decisive 117-97 win against the struggling Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening.
This result represented Boston’s second triumph over Milwaukee within five days, after a 109-102 win on Wednesday when Tatum was given a rest. The Celtics now stand at 8-2 and carried on with their four-game road stretch, having already defeated Charlotte 119-80 on Friday.
Boston established a sufficient cushion to keep Tatum on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Bucks fell to 1-9, marking their poorest season start since 1993-94, when they dropped 10 of their initial 11 contests before ending with a 20-62 record.
Paul George and Jayson Tatum spark Celtics turnaround
Milwaukee initially appeared poised to pull off a surprise, as Kyle Kuzma registered 14 points in the first five minutes to propel the Bucks to a 20-6 advantage.
Nevertheless, Tatum and George fueled a pivotal 18-0 stretch that swung momentum toward Boston. Tatum accounted for the Celtics’ last 10 points of the opening quarter, cutting the gap to 27-25, before George took over at the beginning of the second period.
George began the quarter with eight straight points, including a three-pointer that handed Boston its first lead at 28-27. He then added a layup and another shot from beyond the arc to finish the 18-0 scoring run.
The Celtics entered half-time ahead 58-45 and maintained their dominance after the interval. They tallied the first nine points of the third quarter to go 22 points up and never let Milwaukee get within 15 for the rest of the contest.
Bucks falter as Kyle Kuzma paces Milwaukee scoring
Kuzma ended with 27 points to pace Milwaukee, equalling George’s team-high figure for Boston. However, the Bucks were unable to bounce back after relinquishing their early lead.
Myles Turner suffered through another tough offensive outing, managing just three points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a career-best seven assists. He has converted only one of his past 15 attempts across two games, having been held scoreless in Friday’s 121-107 NBA Cup loss to Toronto.
Boston will resume its road trip with a trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday evening before heading to Toronto. Milwaukee will also be back in action on Tuesday, taking on the New York Knicks.