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Joe Mazzulla reveals why he removed Celtics starters early in Bucks loss
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- Joe Mazzulla reveals why he removed Celtics starters early in Bucks loss
The Celtics five-game winning streak came to an ugly halt on Thursday night with a 116-101 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee . Boston led by as many as 13 points in the first half but watched their lead dissipate quickly after halftime as the team shot 3 for 26 from 3-point range after intermission.
Meanwhile, the Bucks got red-hot from the field, outscoring the Celtics 56-34 over the game’s final 24 minutes while pulling off the comeback win without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) on the floor.
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Boston’s regulars got pulled earlier than usual in the defeat with Joe Mazzulla yanking his entire starting five with 5:26 left in regulation after an 8-2 Bucks run pushed their lead to 17 points.
“It’s just one of those nights that’s not our night,” Mazzulla told reporters in Milwaukee of the decision. “We’ve played some good basketball and had an understanding of when we’re at our best, and tonight we got a taste of when we’re not at our best. So we’ve got to get back to work, continue to work at it. Just one of those where it’s not our night and we move on to the next one.”
The Celtics entered the game as the best offense in the Eastern Conference but their shooting luck came to a halt on the road. Boston hit just 26 percent of their shots as a team in the second half with Jaylen Brown the only player cracking double figures after halftime. No other player on the roster scored more than four points after intermission, preventing the visitors from keeping pace with a red-hot Bucks squad.
Milwaukee knocked down 62 percent of their shots after the break, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range as Bobby Portis , Kyle Kuzma and Cole Anthony led the comeback that the Celtics had no answers for.
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Boston will have three days to regroup now before their next matchup in what will be another tough test on Monday night against the East-leading Pistons at TD Garden.
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