Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee Bucks, 96-89
MILWAUKEE—Al Horford had 27 points and nine rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 96-89 on Thursday night.
Kyrie Irving added 24 points and seven assists for Boston, which avenged a loss to Milwaukee in Boston earlier this month.
The game was played at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, formerly known as the MECCA, which served as the Bucks’ home from 1968 until the team moved into the Bradley Center in 1988.
The Bucks chose to play one game this season at the 11,000seat arena to mark the franchise’s 50th anniversary. The team will move into a new arena next season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points for Milwaukee. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon added 15 apiece.
Antetokounmpo, who came into the game leading the league with nearly 37 points per game, scored just 11 in the first half before matching that total in the third quarter as the Bucks built a seven-point lead midway through the period.
The Celtics grabbed control in the fourth, building a 12-point lead midway through the period before Tony Snell sank back-to-back 3-pointers, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet and forcing a timeout. The Celtics quickly built the lead back to double digits, but the Bucks briefly rallied again. Brogdon’s layup brought the Bucks within five points with just under 4 minutes remaining but Milwaukee would get no closer.
The Celtics jumped out to a 10-point lead early in the first quarter and led 28-23 after the period, led by Irving’s nine points. The Bucks led 44-43 at the half on a late running dunk by Middleton. Irving had 16 first-half points.
Bulls 91, Hawks 86
CHICAGO—Lauri Markkanen scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half, including a key 3-pointer with 48.5 seconds left, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 91-86 on Thursday night for their first win of the season.
Markkanen also grabbed 12 rebounds, leading a dominant rebounding effort for Chicago. Robin Lopez had 16 points and eight rebounds and reserve David Nwaba finished with 15 points and 11 boards, helping the Bulls to a whopping 62-40 advantage on the glass.
Marco Belinelli made five 3-pointers on his way to 23 points for Atlanta, which closed out a 1-4 trip—the franchise’s longest road trip to begin a season. Kent Bazemore scored 16 points and Mike Muscala finished with 14 points and 10 boards.
Belinelli made a 3 to give Atlanta an 86-85 lead with about 1:50 left, but the Hawks never scored again. Lopez passed to Justin Holiday for a reverse layup and Jerian Grant found Markkanen for his big 3 in the final minute, making it 90-86.
Grant added a free throw in the final seconds, helping Chicago close it out. He finished with 11 points and seven assists.
Rookie John Collins had 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting for Atlanta, but the Hawks shot 39.5 percent (32 for 81) overall.
Markkanen, the seventh overall pick in the June draft, made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points in Tuesday’s 119-112 loss at Cleveland, drawing praise from LeBron James for his shooting skills. He got off to a slow start against Atlanta, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half, but he got back on track by putting the ball on the floor.
The 7-foot Markkanen drove to the rim for a dunk and a three-point play with 8:33 left in the third. He added a slick driving layup with 6:48 to go, giving the Bulls a 49-44 lead after they trailed by as many as seven in the first half.