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MILWAUKEE – Kyrie Irving had 26 points and 11 assists, Al Horford added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-90 on Sunday in the first game of their second-round playoff series.
Jaylen Brown had 19 points and Gordon Hayward got 13 points for the Celtics. Boston controlled the game for long periods and played against MVP contender Giannis Antetokoumpo, who scored 22 points but scored just 7 out of 21 points.
Antetokounmpo scored his first goal only in the first minute of the second quarter.
The second game is Tuesday in Milwaukee.
Khris Middleton had 16 for Milwaukee, who completed Monday a four-game Detroit Pistons sweep and qualified for the first time in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. The Celtics won their first match against Indiana.
The Celtics eliminated Milwaukee from the playoffs in seven games last year, winning the final home game. This year, Milwaukee is the top seed in the East and has a field advantage in the playoffs after posting the best record in the NBA, but Boston has never played as an underdog.
The Celtics made a leap forward, leading by 11 in the first quarter. Boston shot 52% while the Bucks shot just 5 of 19.
Shooting trouble continued for the Bucks until the middle of the second quarter, when Milwaukee used a 15-0 score to tie in at 40. The teams then traded baskets.
Boston used a 9-0 record in the third quarter to once again build a double-digit lead, which soared to 21 as Milwaukee failed again.
Boston players wore a black band with the number 17 on their jerseys in honor of the Hall of Fame, John Havlicek, who died Thursday at the age of 79.
The team has won eight titles in 16 seasons at Havlicek with the Celtics.
Havlicek was the most useful player in the NBA finals in 1974 when the Celtics defeated the Bucks in Game 7 at MECCA Milwaukee.
A moment of silence was observed before the tipoff.
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