Jaylen Brown powered Boston on both ends, finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds as the Celtics pulled away early and never looked back in a 107-79 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Anfernee Simons provided a major spark off the bench with 27 points, while Derrick White filled the stat sheet with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Neemias Queta added 14 points and eight rebounds as Boston earned its second straight victory after an up-and-down stretch.
Milwaukee briefly jumped out fast despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo, hitting its first five shots to open a 12-0 lead. The Bucks’ momentum didn’t last. Boston quickly seized control and sent Milwaukee to its fifth consecutive loss. Ryan Rollins led the Bucks with 25 points, and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 16.
Antetokounmpo, sidelined by a right calf strain suffered Jan. 23, remained out with no timetable for his return as trade speculation continued to swirl around the two-time MVP.
Boston took a 56-42 advantage into halftime, fueled by Simons’ hot start. He scored 14 points in the first half, including 11 in the opening quarter and back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute. Brown, who sat out Friday’s win over Sacramento with left hamstring tightness and a bruised right knee, took over coming out of the break. He scored 10 of Boston’s first 12 points of the second half to stretch the lead to 68-47.
The Celtics’ cushion continued to grow, swelling to 27 points in the fourth quarter on Brown’s 3-pointer before coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench.
The game also marked the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic, honoring the 75th anniversary of the league’s first Black players — Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton. Both teams wore commemorative patches and warmup shirts in recognition of Black History Month, and Brown addressed the crowd pregame, asking, “Who will be this generation’s pioneers?”
Up next:
The Bucks return home to host Chicago on Tuesday, while the Celtics head to Dallas on Tuesday night.
