Rapid Recap: Celtics 117, Bucks 97

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 08: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on November 08, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Milwaukee Bucks started strong but faded in a 117-97 loss to the Boston Celtics. In a rematch of Wednesday’s back-and-forth loss to the Celtics, the Bucks led by as much as 14 in the first quarter, but ceded ground thanks to Boston’s strong shooting and pesky defense. The Celtics retook the lead at the start of the second quarter and never looked back in a comfortable 20-point victory. Kyle Kuzma led Milwaukee with 27 points on 10/17 shooting, followed by Brayden Burries (13 points) and Tyler Herro (13 points). Paul George scored 27 on 18 shots, while Jayson Tatum (21), Neemias Queta (13), Payton Pritchard (12), and Mitchell Robinson (12) all logged double-digit points.

NBA.com Box Score

Milwaukee rolled out its new starting lineup of Brayden Burries, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner. Boston started Mike Conley, Derrick White, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. The story early was Kyle Kuzma, who dropped 16 points on 6/10 shooting in the first quarter alone. The Bucks led 20-6 after five minutes of play, forcing the Celtics to call a timeout as Kuzma had already dropped 14 of those 16—he was hot. But of course, the Celtics remained calm and worked their way back into the game, largely thanks to Tatum’s high-level shooting and aggressive defence that forced turnovers and let Boston score easy points. Tatum finished the quarter with 16 points on 4/9 shooting as Boston strung together a 10-0 run to end the period, with the Bucks leading by just two, 27-25.

Paul George connected on a corner three to give the Celtics their first lead just seconds into the second quarter. Boston kept clicking from the perimeter and pestered Milwaukee’s ball handlers. The Bucks really hit an offensive wall at this point, connecting on just two threes from 12 attempts. In comparison, Boston looked at ease; White got to his spots at the midrange, Queta consistently beat Turner on the interior, and George splashed three after three. In fact, PG finished with a ridiculous 16 points in the second quarter on 6/9 shooting, helping Boston outscore Milwaukee 33-18 in the period. Tatum found Queta wide open in the paint, who threw down a big jam to put the Celtics up 58-45 at halftime.

Things got uglier for the Bucks in the third, as the Celtics opened with a 7-0 run and stretched their lead to 20. Herro also hobbled off the court with an apparent knee injury after being fouled by Derrick White, but thankfully, returned later in the game. To their credit, the Bucks showed resolve; Turner converted an and-one layup over Queta and Kuzma knocked down a three to trigger a Boston timeout. Ousmane Dieng saw his first minutes in nearly four games and made his cameo count with a pull-up midrange jumper to cut the Celtics’ lead to 16. Ryan Rollins also began to pick up steam from long range, but Boston still held a huge advantage, leading 91-74 entering the final frame.

Pritchard fired a step-back three, and Brayden Burries responded with a midrange jumper to start the fourth quarter. Boston continued to dominate Milwaukee, though they slowed marginally as they brought in their deep rotation to finish the game. That was no matter, though, because they still had Pritchard on the court, who connected on three three-pointers within two minutes. Special hat tip to Dieng, though, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter along to get his year heading back in the right direction. The Celtics coasted to a comfortable 20-point lead, dropping the Bucks to 1-9 in their first 10 games.

The battle on the glass was one-sided today. Boston grabbed 20 offensive boards to Milwaukee’s nine and led the game in rebounds, 48-36. Boston picked up a lot of second-chance points through the efforts of Queta and Robinson, which ultimately helped the Celtics pull away in the second quarter.

Ousmane Dieng deserves a permanent spot in the rotation after that fourth quarter. Dieng shined in his limited minutes, scoring 10 points on perfect 3/3 shooting. Dieng has struggled this season, especially finding a rhythm from beyond the arc and competing with wings for playing time, but he certainly took a step forward against Boston. It could translate to more meaningful minutes in Tuesday’s outing against the New York Knicks.