BOSTON (AP) — Paul George scored 25 points and had five 3-pointers, Derrick White added 24 points and seven assists, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-102 on Wednesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 18 of his 25 points during the third quarter for the Bucks, who fell to 1-7, including 0-4 on the road. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 points.
Baylor Scheierman had nine points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Celtics, who survived a scare after being pushed by one of the NBA’s weaker teams.
Boston never trailed through three quarters, opening a 22-point advantage in the second quarter, leading by 21 at halftime and eight entering the fourth. Milwaukee’s best stretch came during the third quarter, with a 26-12 run to make it a single-digit game.
When Ryan Rollins slammed home two of his 13 points, the Bucks trailed 91-89 with 8:17 remaining. George threw the ball away coming out of a timeout, with Milwaukee’s Nate Ament racing the other way for a layup that tied it at 91.
The Bucks took their first lead of the game at 92-91 when Ament hit a free throw. With leading scorer Jayson Tatum watching from the bench, and Payton Pritchard missing the final quarter with what the team called a right eye abrasion, the Celtics’ search for late-game offense was answered when White converted a hoop-and-harm sequence that put Boston up 102-97 with 2:22 left.
Boston outscored Milwaukee 12-5 over the final three minutes. The Celtics shot 41% from three (16 of 39) and improved to 5-0 at home.
Tatum (rest) was sidelined for Boston for the first time this season. The All-Star forward was coming off a 19-point game during Monday’s 109-93 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Up next
Bucks: Host Toronto on Friday night.
Celtics: Open a four-game road trip at Charlotte on Friday night.
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Brendan Mcgair, The Associated Press