Celtics breeze past Bucks, 108-81, as Prove-It Unit takes over

The Celtics didn’t have their usual stars on hand Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, but like many nights this season, it didn’t matter. The Prove-It Unit made a statement. Behind a relentless bench performance and a breakout night from Hugo Gonzalez, Boston turned a competitive game into a runaway road win.

First Quarter

Milwaukee struck first, with Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring the game’s opening basket at the 10:53 mark. The Celtics responded quickly. Hugo Gonzalez got Boston on the board with a driving finish just under a minute later, then followed it up with a dunk in transition to settle things early.

Sam Hauser connected from behind the arc at 9:04, his first of the night, to keep Boston within striking distance as both teams traded possessions in the opening minutes.

Coming out of the first TV timeout, the Celtics’ bench group shifted the tone.

After Nikola Vucevic scored inside with a hook, Payton Pritchard checked in around the six-minute mark. Ron Harper Jr. then entered shortly after and made an immediate impact, drilling a no-hesitation corner three at 4:39 and recording multiple blocks on the defensive end. Boston’s energy picked up during that stretch, particularly on the glass.

Luka Garza contributed on the offensive boards, extending possessions and finishing around the rim. Jordan Walsh didn’t score in the quarter but tied for the early rebounding lead with four boards. Nine Celtics appeared in the opening period and eight of them scored.

Milwaukee stalled a bit when Giannis Antetokounmpo went to the bench, and Boston capitalized. Sam Hauser closed the quarter with a missed three, grabbed his own rebound, and, à la Larry Bird, converted a circus midrange shot just before the buzzer. The Celtics led 30–20 after one.

Second Quarter

Boston continued to build the lead early in the second.

A Bucks travel led to a quick transition opportunity for the Celtics, where Hauser hit a no-dip wing three off a pass from Vucevic — the catch-high, release-high shot that he and Baylor Scheierman frequently practice, as CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell noted.

Gonzalez recorded a chasedown block from behind and later finished in transition after Pritchard pushed the pace, converting the and-one at the line. Through the middle of the quarter, the Celtics’ Prove-It Unit kept the game tilted in Boston’s favor with activity on both ends.

Antetokounmpo returned around the 9:20 mark and immediately impacted the game, dunking in transition over Derrick White and later beating Gonzalez off the dribble for another finish at the rim. Milwaukee briefly gained momentum, but Boston responded.

Gonzalez hit a corner three at 7:57 to make it 43–24. Pritchard and White both connected from deep as the Celtics’ lead grew to 52–30 with 6:20 remaining in the quarter. Milwaukee answered with threes from Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., and Dieng to stay within reach.

Defensively, Boston was active in help situations and forced multiple turnovers. Gonzalez stripped Antetokounmpo on one possession, and Garzilla continued to clean up on the offensive glass on the other side.

The Celtics’ lead reached 22 before a late stretch of sloppy play allowed Milwaukee to chip away. A few turnovers and missed shots in the final two minutes helped the Bucks cut the deficit to 14 at halftime. Mazzulla appeared frustrated with the final possession after Boston turned the ball over rather than getting a clean look.

Still, the Celtics controlled most of the half and went into the break up 54–40.

Third Quarter

Milwaukee opened the half aggressively.

Hauser hustled out to block an AJ Green three on the first possession, but Vucevic airballed his third attempt from deep on the other end. Giannis Antetokounmpo began to impose himself, finishing through contact and converting an and-one at the 10:49 mark to cut the lead to single digits.

Vucevic steadied things briefly with a soft finish inside off a White feed, but Antetokounmpo continued to pressure the rim, bullying his way to another layup as the deficit dipped to nine.

Boston answered.

Hauser drilled a contested three from the wing, and Gonzalez recorded his second career double-double at the 9:30 mark. Fifteen seconds later, he buried a corner three to push the lead back to 15.

White and Vucevic re-established their two-man rhythm, connecting inside to make it 67–50 with 8:33 remaining. That capped a 10–0 Boston run in under two minutes.

From there, the Celtics’ Prove-It Unit swung momentum again.

Gonzalez blocked a perimeter attempt, sprinted the floor and finished on a cut to reach 15 points. Hauser connected on another contested three at 7:28. Gonzalez later absorbed contact in the post to draw an offensive foul on Antetokounmpo.

By the six-minute mark, Boston’s lead was back to 23.

Milwaukee responded with threes from Portis and Dieng, trimming the deficit during a 15–5 stretch. A successful Bucks challenge overturned a Ron Harper Jr. finish at the rim, and tensions rose briefly after a jump ball sequence involving Luka Garza and Porter Jr.

Boston closed the quarter cleanly. White converted a tough reverse layup to halt the run, and after another Milwaukee turnover, the Celtics secured the final possession for the third straight quarter. Pritchard delivered, stepping back for a high-arching midrange jumper that fell just before the buzzer.

Boston led 83–65 heading into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

Boston left little doubt early in the final frame.

Vucevic opened the quarter with a finish inside to push the lead back to 20. Milwaukee struggled to generate clean offense, including an airballed three and a sloppy sideline turnover as Giannis Antetokounmpo checked back in at the 10:27 mark.

Pritchard stretched the margin further at 10:10, drilling a deep three to give him 16 points and seven assists at that point. On the other end, Antetokounmpo missed at the rim but drew a late whistle on Gonzalez. Cam Thomas later earned free throws after strong help defense from White was wiped away by a foul call on Vucevic.

Boston stayed composed.

White continued orchestrating, finding Vucevic for another interior finish to make it a 21-point game again. After Antetokounmpo missed a wide-open three that rattled out, the Celtics delivered what felt like the decisive sequence.

Walsh grabbed an offensive rebound to extend the possession, and Pritchard — after missing a step-back — relocated beyond the arc. Walsh found him again. This time it dropped. Bucks timeout. Boston up 24 with 7:45 remaining.

From there, the gap only widened.

Gonzalez secured his 14th and 15th rebounds of the night as Milwaukee continued to miss at the rim against Boston’s layered help defense. White knocked down a contested three to reach 18 points and nine assists before checking out for the night. Pritchard followed with another deep three as the lead touched 30, drawing another timeout from Doc Rivers.

Garbage time arrived shortly after.

Scheierman added a late three and flashed a thumbs-up toward the bench. Tonje checked in with 2:30 remaining for just his second appearance as a Celtic, joined by Amari Williams and Max Shulga in the final minutes.

Gonzalez put the finishing touch on his 18-point, 16-rebound performance with a late three in the closing minute, sealing a dominant road win that pushed the Celtics to 41–20 on the season.

Boston will return home Wednesday to face the Charlotte Hornets.