Celtics End Bucks' Unbeaten Start, Warriors Pin-Point Boston As Biggest Threat

The Boston Celtics recorded their fifth straight win on the bounce and they also handed the Milwaukee Bucks – the only remaining unbeaten team in the NBA – their first loss of the season with a 117-113 win on Thursday night at TD Garden.

After a mixed start to the campaign, the Celtics – one of the favorites to progress from the Eastern Conference – are slowly finding their feet as a unit. Kyrie Irving again top scored with 28 points and seven assists during his 33 minutes on the court.

The Celtics also broke a franchise record on their way to the win after they recorded 24 three-pointers, which is one more than the previous record. And with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, it looked like they were in with a shot to beat the NBA record set by the Cleveland Cavaliers last season with 25 three-pointers in a game.

It was an all-round effort as they held off the Bucks, who did outscore the Celtics 35-24 in the final quarter. Gordon Hayward recorded a season-high 18 points, while Al Horford and Marcus Morris scored 18 and 17 points respectively.

“They played well, but we stayed resilient and won the game,” Morris said talking about the Bucks’ fourth-quarter fight back. “The crowd was really into it and they played hard down to the end so we knew we was going to take our best shot and we end up winning the game.”

“We was open! So we just let them have it,” the Celtics forward said when asked about what brought about them setting a new franchise record for three-pointers.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the Bucks side after missing one game while being in the NBA’s concussion protocol. He again led the way for his team with 33 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bucks were in with a chance to continue their winning run after bringing their deficit down to one point with a minute left on the clock. But the Celtics held on and went on to win by four points.

The Celtics will not take on the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night – the first of their five straight games on the road. They will hope to keep their run going and close the gap on the top two – the Toronto Raptors and the Bucks – in the Eastern Conference.

Brad Stevens’ team have been tipped as the favorites to progress to the NBA Finals from the East and even the Golden State Warriors, who are almost everyone’s choice to win their third straight title have named the Celtics as their biggest threat.

"I just think with the tools that they have, and the way the game is set up today, with small-ball and all that stuff, [center] Al Horford can switch onto guards," Draymond Green said, as quoted on CBS Sports.

"That would be their five in that lineup. And then obviously, you've got Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie [Irving], Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris. They've got a lot of guys who fit right into that style of play, with the experience of playing with Kyrie, who isn't backing down from anyone."