The Milwaukee Bucks dominated in the second half to defeat the Boston Celtics 116-101 with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined due to injury on Thursday night.
Bucks swingman Kyle Kuzma dropped his season-high 31 points while Bobby Portis added 27 and 10 rebounds to secure their win.
Portis hit a pair of three-pointers from the left corner as the Bucks opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to go in front 95-82, followed by another three-pointer put up 106-89 with 6:49 remaining.
Milwaukee forward hit 11 of 13 shots, including 5 of 6 beyond the arc, in 26 minutes.
Backcourt Kevin Porter Jr. also stepped up with a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists.
On the other hand, Boston star Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, while Jordan Walsh added 20, but not enough to extend their five-game winning streak.
The Celtics led 67-60 at the half until Kuzma scored nine points to start their 11-0 spurt that brought the Bucks even at 71 midway through the third quarter.
The Bucks trailed by 10 in the first quarter, managed to get back within 30-29, but the Celtics responded with a 23-9 run, going in front 52-38 on Payton Pritchard’s three-pointer with just under seven minutes left in the half.
Antetokounmpo already missed his third consecutive game with a strained right calf, while averaging 28.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is expected to miss two to four weeks.
Boston will host the Pistons on Monday, while Milwaukee will enter Brooklyn on Sunday.
