It didn’t take much to titillate the Celtics : led 12-0 from the start by the Bucks Ryan Rollins, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, all in tune, the locals took advantage of this failed start to turn the situation around quite quickly and thus trace the contours of a one-sided match.
Excited and carried by their audience, Joe Mazzulla’s players were first able to count on the hot shot of Anfernee Simons, author of 11 points in the first quarter, to equalize at 26 all with a 3-pointer at the buzzer (her third basket in a row!).
In his wake, Boston quickly took off with, this time, a scathing 14-2 before returning to the locker room. A “run” fueled by the duo Jordan Walsh/Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser at 3-points and the pair Derrick White/Jaylen Brown to seal the deal (56-42).
Milwaukee failed to recover on the restart. Quite the contrary: Jaylen Brown was responsible for driving the point home with 10 points in less than three minutes, to bring the score to 68-47, without forcing too much.
The end of the evening was going to be long for the Bucks and this was confirmed. The gap continued to grow in the last act, increasing to +26 on a 3-pointer from Derrick White and even to +31 thanks to two additional winning baskets from Anfernee Simons.
The final addition was steep, while Jaylen Brown also maintained the pressure until his exit, thus guiding his team to a clear and flawless victory (107-79).
WHAT TO REMEMBER
Boston celebrates first day of Black History Month. The meeting allowed the Celtics to pay tribute to the African-American pioneers of the NBA, on the occasion of the first “Pioneers Classic” celebrating the first day of “Black History Month”. Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first black player to sign a contract in the NBA, Chuck Cooper, the first black player to be drafted in the NBA and Earl Lloyd, the first black player to participate in an NBA game, were honored. To mark the occasion, both teams wore special commemorative patches on their jerseys and warm-up t-shirts.
Anfernee Simons sounds the revolt. The evening could have been more complicated if Boston had let Milwaukee escape a little more at the start of the match. Fortunately for them, the Celtics were able to count on the thunderous entry of their luxury sixth man: he multiplied the brilliant shots, ending the first act with three 3-point baskets to put the teams back on level terms. Author of 11 of his 27 points, he was essential in allowing the locals to ease a match that had gotten off to a bad start. And he didn’t fail to put the icing on the cake at the end of the match.
Jaylen Brown and Fashion Diesel. The leader of the C’s grew in temperature throughout the match. Author of 8 points at 3/6 at the break, JB then multiplied, signing a second period of very high level: 22 points at 9/14 shooting! Managing a gap is never an easy mission in the NBA, but Boston maintained it perfectly and Jaylen Brown had a lot to do with it after returning from the locker room. He was rewarded by winning the first NBA Pioneers Classic Trophy.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
