Without Giannis, the Nets interior defense should breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Bucks are fifth in the NBA on field goal percentage inside the restricted area at 70.4 percent, led by Antetokounmpo’s 77.7 percent on 12 field goal attempts inside the RA. Whew. Even still, the Nets can’t afford to be lax on that end or take the Bucks lightly.

In the end, the trio of Portis, Kuzma and Porter carried the Bucks to a much-needed win. With rumors about an injured Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future continuing to swirl, his teammates earned a victory as the superstar forward enjoyed his team’s fight and competitiveness from the bench.

The Celtics missed 16 straight 3-pointers to open the second half, plus the Bucks caught fire with some of their role players.

"There were a few make-miss (shots), but most of the time they were – that's what we planned for," said Rivers.

Milwaukee doesn't have a lot of quick answers to figure out how to win without one of the league's best players.

Expert recap and game analysis of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics NBA game from December 11, 2025 on ESPN.

The advisory was for Western Montgomery and Upper Bucks.

The Boston Celtics suffered through a tale of two halves on Thursday, starting out red hot against the Milwaukee Bucks in Wisconsin, only to go completely ice cold in the second half. Holding a seven-point lead at halftime, the Celtics would not make a single 3-point attempt in the third quarter, in which they only scored a total of 13 points.