Tuesday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards’ may have been one of the Celtics’ worst of the season, but they responded in a big way Thursday night. In what was a probable playoff matchup, with their thin hopes to earn the No. 1 seed in the East on the line, the Celtics went into Fiserv Forum and trounced the Milwaukee Bucks 140-99.

After a back-and-forth early few minutes, the Celtics grew their lead to eight points by the end of the first quarter and never looked back. By outscoring the Bucks 41-21 in the second quarter they led by 28 at halftime, then dominated the third 39-27. When the reserves were in the game late in the fourth quarter, the lead grew to a game-high 49 points.

• Given the lead the Celtics’ starters only played three quarters – but still put up some monster numbers. Jayson Tatum led the scoring with 40 points, shooting 12-of-18 from the floor and 8-of-10 from three. He also had eight rebounds.

  Jaylen Brown followed Tatum with 30 points, along with five rebounds and five assists. Al Horford added 14 points, Marcus Smart 10, and Malcolm Brodgon 14 off the bench. Robert Williams, playing 19 minutes, had seven points but also seven rebounds and four blocks.

  Defensively, the Celtics limited Giannis Antetokounmpo to just 24 points on 11-of-27 shooting. Only two other Bucks players scored in double figures – Kris Middleton has 12 points and Bobby Portis had 12, although both shot well under 50 percent from the floor.

• JT's going nuclear ☢️ pic.twitter.com/X2w5Wgr2mM

  — Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 31, 2023

• It was a major stabilizing win for the Celtics, and in statement fashion. While the C’s have struggled at times in the second half of the season, the Bucks have been the hottest team in the league. The Celtics showed on Thursday night that even on the road, they’re still a top contender in the Eastern Conference.

  They also kept their hopes alive of reaching the No. 1 seed. With the win they improved to 53-24, and are two games behind Milwaukee but now own the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they finish with identical records, the Celtics would get the top seed. Both teams have five games left to play. The Celtics will take on the Jazz, Sixers, the Raptors twice, and then the Hawks, while the Bucks play the Sixers, Wizards, Bulls, Grizzlies, and Raptors.

  Friday night’s game against the Jazz sees the Celtics return home to TD Garden. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Sports Hub BetMGM Celtics Radio Network.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.