Tonight, as the Boston Celtics took on the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks, the unexpected happened. The Bucks, without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, managed to take the game 116-101 in a massive come-from-behind win, snapping a five-game winning streak for head coach Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics squad.

The matchup was chippy from the very beginning, with one moment standing out for fans. In the first quarter, as forward Kyle Kuzma shot free throws, he seemed to say to Celtics star Jaylen Brown:

“This not a stream, n—-.”

The clip spread like wildfire online, with many fans entertained with the trash-talk as the matchup became more competitive than people thought it’d be going into the game.

Kuzma backed up that talk by going toe-to-toe with Brown, matching the Celtics forward’s 30-point outing with 31 of his own, leading all scorers and guiding the Bucks to a big win. Bobby Portis also chipped in with 27 of his own off the bench.

“A lot of it was in transition, a lot of it was driving,” coach Joe Mazzulla told the media after the game. “A lot of [potential improvements] was doing a better job on tendencies, understanding what his tendency is.”

Indeed, the Bucks, despite not forcing many turnovers, kept pushing pace against the Celtics, with Kuzma attempting just three shots outside the paint, and just eight shots outside the restricted area. Bucks coach Doc Rivers commented on it in his postgame conference, praising the forward:

“He’s bought into his shot profile… He avoids the in between jump shot… If he doesn’t have layup, spread it out. He did all those things tonight.”

This season, after Antetokounmpo went out, Kuzma has performed well.

In the two games since the Greek forward’s most recent injury, Kuzma has averaged 20 points and five rebounds on 61% from the field, helping in a team-wide step-up to maintain competitiveness as Antetokounmpo trade rumors have ramped up.

Kyle Kuzma’s Third-Quarter Turn That the Celtics Never Recovered From

The Milwaukee Bucks survived an early shot-making stretch from the Boston Celtics, then recalibrated the entire pace of the night. Kyle Kuzma scored the first 11 of the third quarter for his team by himself, forcing the Celtics to defend downhill actions instead of more comfortable perimeter matchups they worked through in the first half.

The Celtics were completely scrambled, and their early shot-making, the one that led a 7-11 first quarter, dried up instantly.

the 22-6 run right afterwards was the simplest example of how quickly Boston’s structure falters when their threes stop falling. They missed all 12 attempts in the third, and Milwaukee utilized the long rebounds to their advantage, running in transition to get easy buckets.

Top Stories

Respect Pours In for Caitlin Clark After Latest Offseason Announcement

Strong Resistance Surges After ESPN Teases Sophie Cunningham’s Exit From the Fever

Arrest For Shaquille O’Neal’s Stolen Range Rover Made But More Bad News Awaits

Caitlin Clark Earns Strong Praise From Team USA Director Ahead of Camp Debut

Stephen Curry Now 103 Points From Losing NBA Record After DeMar DeRozan’s Feat In Kings-Nuggets

Portis‘ bench scoring quickly substituted Kuzma’s punch, adding a stabilizer the Celtics never matched.

By the time the fourth quarter started, the game had shifted into the Bucks’ favor, with Portis’ threes starting the quarter feeling inevitable rather than surprising.

Boston looked like a team chasing possessions instead of creating them, and with the Bucks shooting almost 63% from the field in the second half, the loss has to serve as a wake-up call for Joe Mazzulla’s squad.