Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Bucks rally against Celtics: Live scores, updates, highlights from 2021 NBA Christmas game

The Bucks hosted the Celtics in the second of five NBA games on Christmas Day.

It’s a horror movie.

After facing the possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo not playing on Christmas Day, the two-time MVP made his presence known upon his return to action. Antetokounmpo continued a relatively quiet first half with a 29-point effort in the final 24 minutes, ending with 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to take Milwaukee’s lead from 19 points down.

Sporting News followed live updates and highlights from the Celtics vs Bucks Christmas Day game. Follow for complete results.

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Live updates Celtics vs. Bucks, highlights from the NBA Christmas game

Finals: Bucks 117, Celtics 113

5:08 pm – Khris Middleton split the free throw to raise the Bucks to four with 5.8 seconds to play.

The Bucks completed the comeback on Christmas Day, beating the Celtics 70-51 in the second half.

5:05 pm – Bucks ball!

Milwaukee has eight seconds to complete the comeback stage.

5:03 pm – Bucks lead by 3 when Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing it all.

A big block has begun to assess as the Celtics await to see if they have a last chance to tie things up.

The Bucks lead 116-113 with 8.0 seconds remaining.

05:00 – After a wild sequence, Wesley Matthews helps the Bucks lead the game with 30 seconds to play!

Milwaukee led 114-113 and had just 30.3 seconds left in regulation.

The Bucks’ furious rally continued as they wanted to complete their comeback from 19.

4:57 pm – Giannis Antetokounmpo tie it up!

Giannis gets into the box and causes damage but fails on the free throw.

All mounted at 111 and below 1:30 to play.

Jaylen Brown has a chance to put the Celtics back in the lead with a trip to the wire.

4:52 pm – The Celtics always have an answer for the Bucks.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo shortened the score to four with a swing jump, Jaylen Brown calmly knocked out a jumper to make it a six-point game again.

Antetokounmpo had up to 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the game while Brown scored 22 for the Celtics.

Boston leads 111-105 with 3:16 left.

4:48 pm – This is Bucks.

A Wesley Matthews 3 cuts the deficit to six and we have a two-man game with less than five minutes to play.

Celtics lead 109-103 with 4:14 left.

4:38 pm – Jabari Parker is helping the Celtics withdraw from his old team.

The previous Bucks lottery pick had an early nine in the fourth and The Celtics lead 102-90 with 9:11 left in the game.

Does Milwaukee have another one inside?

End of quarter 3: Celtics 94, Bucks 90

4:29 pm – How about a quarter 43 points to get back the bucks?

Milwaukee, which is yet to lead the game, slashed the deficit to one point with a monster third quarter showing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to have shaken off the rust as he went up to 24 points in the game after scoring 17 in the third inning.

The two-time MVP will be looking to get his team over the hurdles in a game that could very well result.

4:17 pm – Bucks keep rising back on it.

Under four minutes remained in the third and Milwaukee cut the deficit to four.

Celtics lead 87-83 with 3:15 reminders in part three.

4:05 pm – After a rather quiet first half, Giannis Antetokounmpo had nine points in the first three minutes of the second half.

Antetokounmpo currently has 16 points thanks to drives like these:

4:01 pm – It was a solid start to the first half for the Bucks, who cut the deficit to 10 points early.

Milwaukee led 71-61 with 9:10 remaining in the third inning.

So far, the Celtics have answered for every run, will they have an answer again?

Halftime: Celtics 62, Bucks 47

3:41 pm – A 3-beat beat from George Hill cut some of the deficit but the Celtics led by 15 points at half-time.

The Celtics, who are shooting 10 of 23 (43.5%) from depth, are leading by 19 points from Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum added 13 points and Payton Pritchard scored 11 from the bench.

Khris Middleton’s 11 points led for the Bucks, while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored seven points (on three of eight shots) in his return to action.

3:36 pm – Party 3 Boston!

The Celtics have now destroyed a triple-hit 10 in the first half, just two short of their season average. That’s… a problem for the Bucks and the difference so far in the game.

3:32 pm – Bucks are coming back on it!

Khris Middleton sank the game’s third triple to reduce the deficit to 10 and the Celtics requested a pause. Middleton has up to 11 points in the game.

Boston led 52-42 with 1:55 remaining in the first half.

Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 17 points while second-year keeper Payton Pritchard has 11 points and four assists in 16 minutes coming on from the bench.

3:26 pm – After 19 points, Milwaukee is looking to control the mid-half deficit more easily.

One potential obstacle is fouling trouble, as Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled for the third with more than five minutes left at half-time.

3:14 pm – A treble from Jayson Tatum gave the Celtics a 16-point lead and Mike Budenholzer signaled for another Bucks timeout.

Boston leads 40-24 with 9:56 left in the second quarter.

Tatum currently has 5 points in the game and the Celtics are now 5/11 points behind.

3:11 pm – Jaylen Brown has a chipped tooth but can return.

First quarter end: Celtics 35, Bucks 22

3:07 pm – A quarter on the books and the Celtics made a strong statement.

14 points behind Jaylen Brown, Boston leads with 13 points after one inning. As a team, Boston is shooting from long range 57.7%, including 4/9 from long range.

Brown left the game and headed to the locker room after an accidental punch in the face from Jayson Tatum.

The Bucks, who are shooting 10 of 24 from the field, are leading by seven points from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

2:58 pm – Thanks to a strong start, the Celtics took a double-digit lead as the first bracket closed.

Boston leads 31-16 with 2:46 left in the quarter.

Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 14 points in 6/7 shots, while the Celtics are shooting 13/20 from the field as a team.

On the other hand, the Bucks shot 7 out of 18 from the field very early on. In his return to action, Giannis Antetokounmpo had three points out of 1/5 shots.

Fittingly, his first goal was a pitch.

2:45 pm – Boston took a quick seven-point lead, prompting Mike Budenholzer to signal time was up early.

The Celtics led 12-5 with 9:16 left in the first quarter.

2:41 pm – A 3 from Romeo Langford puts the Celtics first on the board and a Christmas Day festival is underway in Milwaukee.

Pregame

2:15 pm – Donte DiVincenzo looks ready for his first game in the NBA since May 27.

12:42 pm – The Celtics have announced that Dennis Schroder has joined health and safety protocols. He won’t play on Christmas Day.

11:54 am – According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski , Marcus Smart (hip contusion) will be a game-time decision.

half past eleven – Bruno Fernando, Enes Freedom, Sam Hauser, Justin Jackson, CJ Miles, Aaron Nesmith, Josh Richardson and Grant Williams have played for the Celtics. Only Brook Lopez is listed for the Bucks.

9:59 am – Good news for the Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo will make his season debut against the Celtics today, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania .

How to watch Celtics vs. Bucks on Christmas Day

• Day: Saturday, December 25
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: ABC
• Direct: Watch ESPN | Sling TV

NBA Christmas Holiday Schedule

Five games are split between ESPN and ABC. All times below are in Eastern Standard Time.

You can stream all the action on Sling TV .