It didn’t take long for the Boston Celtics to capture their first signature comeback win of the season, overcoming a 19-point deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-105.
And it all started before the opening tip.
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who is averaging north of 17 points-per-game through his first three games, was slated to miss Wednesday night’s affair due to an illness. On top of that, Enes Kanter was set to miss his third consecutive game with a left knee injury suffered in the season opener.
None of that was enough to hold down this lovable Celtics unit, led by Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Gordon Hayward.
The Celtics got down by as many as 19 in the first half, and the Milwaukee lead was staked to 58-42 going into the halftime break.
However, unlike much of last season, this game wasn’t decided at halftime. Boston came back in a big way in the second half –– outscoring the reigning Eastern Conference runner-ups 38-18 in the third quarter, led by Jayson Tatum (11 points, 3-of-3 from behind the line) and Gordon Hayward (10 points, 4-of-5 from the floor).
BANG BANG https://t.co/KHm16tgcBR
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 31, 2019
But surely a four-point lead going into the fourth quarter against a loaded Bucks team of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Eric Bledsoe wouldn’t be enough. The Celtics couldn’t run away and hide, they had to keep their foot on the accelerator for at least 12 more minutes.
And that’s exactly what they did, outscoring the Bucks 36-29 in the fourth en route to a 116-105 victory.
It was a true team effort for this Celtics squad, who improved to 3-1 on the young season. Kemba Walker dropped 32 points (7-of-19 shooting), while Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum each scored north of 20 points as well. Marcus Smart, who started in the place of Jaylen Brown, chipped in 19 of his own on 7-of-16 shooting (5-of-11 from three).
The Celtics are off on Halloween but return to action on Friday against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.
