Celtics’ Game 4 comeback falls short in Milwaukee in 104-102 loss

The Boston Celtics got all the way back, but simply didn’t have enough to complete the comeback as they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 104-102 in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. The series is now tied 2-2 heading back to Boston for Game 5.

After falling behind by as many as 20 points, the Celtics rallied in the second half to briefly take the lead in the fourth quarter. In the end, Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in a missed layup by Malcolm Brogdon with five seconds to play. Marcus Morris missed a fadeaway jumper as time expired, and the Bucks escaped with the victory.

Boston’s comeback efforts were led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 and 21 points, respectively. The two youngsters helped make up for an abysmal scoring effort from the rest of the roster, as Boston shot just over 41 percent for the game.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points, including his game-winning tip-in. Khris Middleton continued his strong play with 23 points, while Jabari Parker had a second consecutive strong effort off the bench, scoring 16 points.

The Celtics were particularly off in the first half, as they shot just 13 for 43 from the field. In addition, they struggled with turnovers early in the game as well. This included Morris giving away two points at the end of the first quarter when he tried to roll a pass with just seconds left. Matthew Dellavedova stole the ball and hit a layup at the buzzer.

Game 5 will take place on Tuesday in Boston, with tip-off at 7:00 PM EST.