Celtics Wrap: Boston Wins Intense Overtime Nail-Biter Vs. Bucks

Boston came alive in the second half

BOSTON — After a somewhat sluggish first half, the Boston Celtics came out swinging in the third quarter and eventually took down the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden in overtime in wild fashion, 122-113.

With their second home win of the season the Celtics improved their record to 6-6, while the Bucks fell to 6-7.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics entered halftime trailing the Bucks, but looked like a completely different team in the third quarter outscoring Milwaukee 37-26.

The Boston offense transitioned away from its typical three-point barrage and spent much more time in the paint and it had a positive effect on the team’s overall play. The Celtics hit just three shots from beyond-the-arc throughout the quarter but dished out six assists and had their best stretch of the night.

Milwaukee fought back late to force overtime, but the Celtics’ offense would prove to be too much down the stretch thanks to Dennis Schröder. The squad overall relied on their interior game to get the win finishing the night with just 12 three-point attempts, well below their typical 37.6 per game.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Schröder led the way offensively for Boston on Friday finishing the night with 38 points. The German guard had his finest game as a member of the C’s to date evening earning MVP chants in overtime. He started strong with 14 in the first quarter then closed out the game on fire with 11 in the fourth quarter and another nine in the overtime period to put the C’s over the top.

— Marcus Smart arguably was Boston’s most impressive player throughout the third quarter, even scoring 13 straight points at one point as the Celtics re-took the lead. He also handed out two assists during the quarter. He finished the night a team-high plus x while stuffing the scoresheet with 19 points, six assists and six rebounds.

— Jayson Tatum helped carry the load offensively with Schröder, finishing the night with a clean 27. Tatum also led the Celtics with 11 rebounds in the win to go along with two blocks.

WAGER WATCH
If you placed a bet on Marcus Smart to go over his over/under point total, you had yourself a good night as he eclipsed the 11.5 point total in the third quarter alone. With the odds set at -110, if you placed a $110 bet down for Smart to go over, you would’ve made a clean $100 on the night.

UP NEXT
Boston doesn’t have much time to rest as they hit the road to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.