Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks looked downright unbeatable during a 12-point victory in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Not so much in Game 2.
A desperate Boston team salvaged a split in the first two games at home with a 109-86 victory Tuesday. The Celtics wasted no time setting the tone while jumping out to a 25-point halftime lead and rode that cushion all the way to a win against a Bucks squad that looked “terrible” at times.
Even without Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, the Celtics won the game with their early defense. Grant Williams and Al Horford in particular stood out as they formed a wall around the rim and bodied Giannis Antetokounmpo as he scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting before halftime.
The two-time MVP figured things out in the second half and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but it was Jaylen Brown’s star power that shone through when the game was still hanging in the balance in the early going.
He poured in 17 points in the first quarter alone on his way to 30 while dropping Grayson Allen to the ground and bouncing back from a 12-point and seven-turnover performance in Game 1.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Jaylen Brown’s 17 points in the 1st quarter are the most he has tallied in a quarter in his postseason career.<br><br>Brown’s 17 points and 6 made FG in the 1st quarter are more than he had in all of Game 1. <a href=”https://t.co/LWjwne70PW”>pic.twitter.com/LWjwne70PW</a>
NBA @NBA
Jaylen Brown drains the 3 for his 25th point of the first half!<br><br>5/5 from deep for JB 🎯<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBAPlayoffs</a> presented by Google Pixel on TNT <a href=”https://t.co/n89uypMHwd”>pic.twitter.com/n89uypMHwd</a>
While the Celtics still lost home-court advantage by falling short in Game 1, they now have some momentum on their side as the series shifts to Milwaukee for Saturday’s Game 3.
