Jayson Tatum’s 31 points and 12 rebounds powered the Boston Celtics to a 113-107 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, overcoming a stellar 43-point, 13-rebound effort by Giannis Antetokounmpo. With this victory, the Celtics improved to 9-2, while the struggling Bucks dropped to 2-8. Tatum’s performance was backed by strong contributions from Payton Pritchard, who scored 18 off the bench, and Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, who each added 15 points.
The Celtics’ third-quarter rally turned the game around as they erased an 11-point halftime deficit to lead 87-84 going into the fourth. Tatum added seven points in a decisive closing 9-5 run, sealing Boston’s win and helping erase memories of last season’s losses to Milwaukee. Holiday, a former Buck, celebrated the victory: “We got blown out twice last year so getting this win here with my family in the building is awesome.”
Mathurin and Haliburton Lead Pacers Over Knicks; Rockets Edge Pistons
In Indianapolis, Bennedict Mathurin’s 38 points and Tyrese Haliburton’s 35 points and 14 assists led the Indiana Pacers to a 132-121 win over the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson tallied 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks in a high-scoring matchup.
Elsewhere, the Houston Rockets secured a narrow 101-99 win over the Detroit Pistons after Jaden Ivey missed a potential game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining. Alperen Şengün’s 27 points and 10 rebounds guided the Rockets (6-4) to victory, countering Cade Cunningham’s near triple-double of 26 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds for Detroit.
