BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Anfernee Simons scored 27 points off the bench, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 107-79 on Sunday.
Derrick White had 17 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Nemias Queta had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and the Celtics won consecutive games after alternating wins and losses in the first four games. It was Brown’s third double-double this season.
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Ryan Rollins scored 25 points for Milwaukee and Kyle Kuzma added 16 points.
With trade rumors surrounding sidelined star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks didn’t miss a shot (5-for-5) in the opening 2 1/2 minutes and took a 12-0 lead, but Boston suffered its fifth straight loss.
On January 23, Antetokounmpo strained his right calf, and there is currently no timetable for his return.
With the Celtics leading 56-42 at halftime, Brown missed Friday’s easy win over Sacramento with a strained left hamstring and a bruised right knee but scored 10 of his first 12 points to lead 68-47 early in the second half.
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Brown hit a three-pointer in the final quarter to extend Boston’s lead to 27 points before coach Joe Mazzulla announced his starter.
Simmons gave the Celtics an offensive surge in the first half, scoring 14 points — 11 in the first quarter — including back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter.
The game was the inaugural NBA Trail Blazers Classic, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the debuts of the league’s first black players, Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton.
Boston wore commemorative jersey patches and warm-up shirts. The players were honored on the first day of Black History Month.
Brown addressed the crowd before the game and said, “Who is going to be the pioneer of this generation?”
Next
Bucks: Host Chicago on Tuesday.
Celtics: At Dallas on Tuesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
