Celtics hold off Bucks fightback to win 109-102 as George and White deliver

Boston beat Milwaukee 109-102 on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at TD Garden, before a crowd of 19,156. The Celtics led by as many as 22 points in the second quarter, then had to regain control after trailing 92-91 with under seven minutes to play.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Devin Carter were ruled out in the latest injury report; for the Bucks, Kam Jones was also absent. Boston won without them, in a game where the lead changed hands four times.

A 15-0 run to open the night

Boston led 12-8 when the game turned. The Celtics reeled off 15 unanswered points, stretching the lead to 27-8 with 2 min 36 sec left in the first quarter. The quarter ended 28-14, with Milwaukee scoring just 14 points.

The second quarter stretched the gap further. A 7-0 run took the score from 41-27 to 48-27, then Boston reached its biggest lead at 51-29, with 4 min 12 sec left before the break. The Celtics went into the locker room at 62-41, a 21-point lead (34-27 in the quarter).

Milwaukee fights back in the third quarter

The Bucks scored 38 points in the period, against 25 for Boston. A 7-0 run cut the deficit from 74-60 to 74-67, then an 8-0 run took it from 80-67 to 80-75. The third quarter ended 87-79 to the Celtics, with the lead down to 8 points.

Boston take back control

Early in the final quarter, a 7-0 Milwaukee run flipped the score from 91-85 to 91-92 with 6 min 50 sec left, the Bucks' only lead of the game, by a single point. Boston regained the advantage (95-92 with 6 min 8 sec left) before the scores were level at 97-97 with 3 min 6 sec to play. The Celtics then went on a 7-0 run to lead 104-97 with 1 min 49 sec left on the clock, and held on to that margin until the final score of 109-102.

Standouts

For the Celtics, Paul George finished as top scorer with 25 points, including 5 three-pointers on 9 attempts, with 5 assists and 4 steals. He also turned the ball over 6 times, the highest total on his team. Derrick White added 24 points, going 9 for 9 at the free-throw line, with 7 assists and a plus-minus of +8 in 36 minutes, the best among Boston's starters. Neemias Queta made his presence felt in the paint: 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, along with 9 points. The night was far less kind to Sam Hauser, who struggled from three-point range, missing 7 of his 10 attempts and finishing with 11 points and a plus-minus of -6 in 30 minutes.

For the Bucks, Tyler Herro matched George with 25 points (8 field goals on 17 attempts, 5 free throws on 5) and 5 rebounds, but his team was outscored by 8 points with him on the floor. Myles Turner hit 4 of his 6 three-point attempts, finishing with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 points, with 4 three-pointers on 6 attempts.

Three takeaways

A 22-point lead doesn't always guarantee a quiet night. The Celtics won because that lead was built early: Milwaukee led only once, by a single point.

Free throws and two-pointers made the difference. Boston made 19 of 25 free throws, against 13 of 19 for Milwaukee, and 21 two-point field goals to 16. The Bucks, for their part, made 19 three-pointers (on 47 attempts) to Boston's 16 (on 39). The Celtics also dominated the boards (54 to 45) and turned the ball over less (12 to 15).

Milwaukee played well for 24 minutes, but too late. The Bucks shot 41% like Boston, handed out more assists (28 to 24), and won the second half by 14 points. With only 14 points in the first quarter, they left with a seventh defeat in seven games, with just one win.

The SNA view

This game can be summed up in one passage of play: the 15-0 run in the first quarter. It gave Boston a 28-14 lead, then 62-41 at the break. Conversely, Boston lost the second half and still held on where it mattered: a 7-0 run ending at 104-97 when the score had been 97-97. Free-throw shooting (9 for 9 for White) and Queta's work on the boards did what Hauser's three-point shooting could not. For Milwaukee, the figure to remember is the overall three-point shooting (19 of 47, 40%): decent, but not enough to erase a 14-point start in 12 minutes.

What's next. Boston have 5 wins and 2 losses and sit 3rd in the Eastern Conference in the 5 November standings. Milwaukee are 14th, with 1 win and 6 losses. Both teams play again at around the same time: the Celtics travel to Charlotte on 7 November at 1:00 (Brazzaville time), while the Bucks host Toronto the same day at 2:00.