In a game that lived up to the hype and then some, the Milwaukee Bucks secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a nail-biting 112–109 victory over the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on Sunday night.
The atmosphere was electric as fans witnessed a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview between two of the league’s heavyweights. With playoff implications on the line and both teams fielding their star lineups, it was a hard-fought battle from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with a dominant performance, racking up 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. His energy on both ends of the floor was relentless, and a crucial block on Jayson Tatum in the final minute sealed the win for the Bucks. Damian Lillard added 27 points, including a go-ahead three-pointer with just under 40 seconds to play.
“We knew what was at stake,” Antetokounmpo said postgame. “To clinch the number one seed in front of our home fans, against a team like Boston, it means a lot. But the job’s not done.”
The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum’s 31 points and Jaylen Brown’s 24, but they struggled with turnovers down the stretch. A missed free throw by Tatum in the final 10 seconds gave the Bucks a chance to ice the game, which Lillard did with two clutch free throws.
The victory improves Milwaukee’s record to 61–21, giving them an insurmountable lead over the second-place Celtics (59–23) with just one game left in the regular season. This marks the Bucks’ third time clinching the top seed in the East over the past five seasons and sets them up with home-court advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs.
Head coach Doc Rivers praised his team’s resilience: “We’ve been through ups and downs this season, but these guys have stayed locked in. It’s a group that believes, and tonight they earned it.”
With the regular season wrapping up this week, all eyes now turn to the postseason. As the top seed, the Bucks will face the eighth seed in the first round—still to be determined in the Play-In Tournaments.
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