On Thursday night, the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 135–102. A 25-0 run in the middle of the first half saw 20 straight points scored by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.

Portis scored 28 points, while Antetokounmpo scored 24. With 12 boards apiece, both players contributed to the Bucks’ second victory in six games. Due to family reasons, Damian Lillard scored 21 points in a 132-116 home defeat to the Utah Jazz on Monday before returning to action for Milwaukee.

When Jrue Holiday came back to Milwaukee, the Bucks were ahead by as many as 43 points. At halftime, they were ahead 75–38, which was their fourth-largest lead at the break in the team’s history. The Celtics had played twice in one night, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 127–120 in overtime the night before. The Bucks had not played since Monday.

Boston allowed the most points it had allowed all season and rested every player for the whole of the second half. The Bucks did not employ any players in the fourth quarter.

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The Celtics made just 9 of 34 3-pointers in the end after missing 16 of their opening 17 attempts. Sam Hauser scored fifteen points, and Payton Pritchard scored twenty-one. Milwaukee made 18 of its 42 3-point attempts and 56.5% of its total shots.

Oshae Brissett made a dunk with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter to trim Milwaukee’s advantage to 31–23. The Celtics wouldn’t score another basket for more than 6 and a half minutes after that. When Antetokounmpo scored seven points and Portis scored thirteen during that 25-0 surge.

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After Portis scored eight of the final 10 points in the first quarter, Milwaukee’s lead increased to 41–23. First, the Bucks scored 15 points in a row to open the second quarter.

Portis has made just one of his twelve three-point attempts this month prior to Thursday. However, he made five out of six on Thursday.

In order to get Lillard, the Bucks traded Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers in September, and Holiday returned to Milwaukee to play in his debut game. He made two of his nine shots and scored six points. Portland sent him to the Celtics a few days later.

From 2020 until 2023, Holiday was a part of the Bucks team that won the 2021 title. This season, he had already faced his old team once. On November 22, the Celtics defeated the Bucks 119-116 in Boston.

A Christmas tribute film was presented on the Fiserv Forum scoreboard during the first stoppage of the game, garnering a standing ovation.