The Celtics hosted the Bucks on Monday night at TD Garden in what may be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston was missing Sam Hauser (lower back pain) for the third consecutive game, while the visitors were without Khris Middleton, who Doc Rivers stated prior to the game that he still does not have a timeframe for his return following bilateral ankle surgery over the summer.

The host team and its supporters were energized by a heinous missed call in the third quarter, which resulted in a run that marked the tilt’s turning point, even if the Celtics’ stars labored for the majority of the game.

More on that in the in-depth analysis of the key points of Monday’s match.

1. The fact that Joe Mazzulla gave Jordan Walsh an early opportunity was the most unexpected aspect of the first quarter. With 5:36 remaining in the quarter, Milwaukee was ahead 15–14 when the second-year wing came on.

Swiftly responding, Walsh, who has benefited from bulking up and showed promise in the preseason, kept Brook Lopez off the glass. That guaranteed the Bucks a shot-clock violation. He did, however, miss two clear attempts at corner threes.

Payton Pritchard, the lone player to come in off the bench before Walsh, gave the Celtics a boost. The former Oregon Duck gave the home team an additional opportunity by making a three-pointer, diving to force a mistake, and swooping in for an offensive rebound.

The visitors led 29-28 after the first 12 minutes, but Boston would have taken the lead into the second quarter if it weren’t for a triple from Gary Trent Jr.

2. Pritchard’s ability to make shots became even more crucial as both teams were having trouble finding their flow and were shooting less than 44% from the field at the half.

Out of his first five shots, the four-year veteran made four of them. At the half, he had a 7/10 record, including 5/8 from behind the arc, including a 34-foot make.

With 3:44 remaining in the second quarter, he was replaced to a thunderous cheer from the TD Garden crowd after scoring 19 points in the first half.

5. The two-time All-Star’s response was more passionate than usual when the officials egregiously ruled a shot clock violation on him after a Milwaukee defender missed evident contact.

Additionally, it energized the Celtics and the home crowd and resulted in a postponement of the game against Joe Mazzulla. They retaliated with a flurry of three-pointers, including several from Derrick White and a buzzer-beater from 26 feet out by Pritchard.

Boston led 90-82 going into the final 12 minutes after finishing the third frame with an 11-2 run.

6. Jordan Walsh was an unexpected contribution to that explosion. The 20-year-old wing drew a foul on Prince after smashing the glass on a missed three by Pritchard. Walsh further rewarded his head coach’s decision to return to him by cleaning up a shot off the mark by White after prolonging the possession.

7. The defending champs took a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, watched the Bucks cut it, and then increased their lead to 15 points after six Celtics players scored in double figures.

Boston’s tempo, ball movement, and spacing led to seven assists on its first 10 field goals, and they did a fantastic job of protecting the three-point line.

Before Doc Rivers signaled the end of the game, replacing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard with 2:44 left and his side behind 115-100, the hosts had 12 points in the paint and had nailed three of their first six three-pointers.

Boston put the finishing touches on a 119-108 victory after that.

Next up: On Wednesday night, the Celtics will travel to Indiana to play the Pacers again in the Eastern Conference Finals. At 7:00 p.m. EST, that game will tip off.