NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Milwaukee Bucks' win over Boston Celtics

After winning eight straight games, Boston has now lost three in quick succession, including the shocking 8-point defeat at the hand of the Phoenix Suns. Their most recent loss was handed to them by Giannis and his Bucks who visited Boston riding a three-game winning streak.

Milwaukee extended their win streak to four games as they beat the shorthanded Celtics on their home soil 120-107 in a commanding performance. As a result, both teams have now won seven out of their last ten games, one on the rise while the other one plummeting.

The disappointing loss saw the Celtics locker room closed for 40 minutes after the game ended as the frustrations after their third straight loss carried over off the court.

"It is something that we will keep in the locker room," said Jayson Tatum, who scored 20 points for Boston. "It's not something for everybody to know what we talked about. We just have to be better as a team."

The Celtics have now slid to the 5th position in the Eastern Conference with an 18-13 (0.581) win-loss record, while the surging Bucks, who are 22-9 (0.710) hold on to the second spot behind the Raptors.

Let's draw out some key takeaways from this imposing road win for the Bucks over the Celtics.

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#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo had himself a high-scoring night

Giannis' rebounding average of 12.8 is currently 5th in the league this season.

The Greek Freak has been putting up a strong case for MVP ever since the season started, and he seems to amp up the intensity against teams that won't go down without a fight.

For this game, he dropped a game-high 30 points, along with eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He got off to a slow start, taking only four first-half field-goal attempts but added 19 points in the second half.

He is averaging a near-career-high 26.8 points per game on the season which is the 6th best in the league. The Bucks' recent eruption to the upper Echelons of the East has been fueled by Giannis' heroics throughout the season.

“We haven’t lost twice to the same team this year,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s a good feeling, coming in here and getting a win in here because they play so well at home.”

#2 The shots just didn't fall for the shorthanded Celtics

The Celtics were without Al Horford(left knee soreness).

The Celtics stared at a 17-point deficit when the half ended, and there was no coming back from such a big hole eventually.

"As you dig a hole against them, it's hard to come back. They're a heck of a team," Boston coach Brad Stevens said.

With no Horford, Baynes, and Morris to their aid, the Celtics struggled to shoot a decent percentage on the night against the Bucks. As a unit, they shot 35-of-91 from the floor, good enough for a meager 38%, while shooting an even worse 29.4%(10-34) from three-point land.

Gordon Hayward was the representative of Boston's shooting woes as he could drop only three of his thirteen attempted shots from the field.

Their inconsistent shooting has been a consistent source of pain and it's no wonder Boston's field-goal percentage is 21st in the league right now.

“They missed a lot of shots,” Bledsoe said. “I’m pretty sure they got a pretty good amount up — they just missed a lot of them. We did a great job of scrambling tonight.”

#3 The Bucks were beasts on defense and on the boards

The Bucks outrebounded the Celtics 55-46.

The Bucks outrebounded the Celtics in the first half, 31-13, including grabbing nine on the offensive glass.

After trailing heavily in the first half, Boston made a few runs in the second but could not get any closer than 11 points. With Milwaukee controlling the paint, the Celtics were forced outside leading to 44 defensive rebounds for the Bucks and just 27 from the Celtics.

The Bucks, as a unit, recorded 3 steals in the game along with six blocks. Although Milwaukee committed 21 turnovers in the game, they still had a 15-point lead at the start of the final quarter.

When Irving was asked about his opponents' dominance, his response was spot on,

"I think it started after the first quarter," Irving said. "They just picked up their aggressiveness and they were pretty much in rhythm for the rest of the night."

Khris Middleton, Tony Snell and Thon Maker combined for 48 points and 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, which has won six of seven.