After colliding on one end of the court, Grant Williams and Mike Muscala tumbled to the floor and could only watch the action go the other way. Moments later, Derrick White bent down with his hands on his knees.
The Celtics ran out of gas in Milwaukee.
On paper, the Celtics didn’t stand much of a chance on Tuesday night. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart were all out, and Al Horford joined them shortly before tip. As depleted as they’ve been all season against the second-place Bucks, the C’s were 10-point underdogs.
But these Celtics refuse to lay down no matter the circumstances or how undermanned they are. They showed incredible fight as they forced overtime and nearly pulled off an upset, but they ultimately didn’t have enough in a 131-125 loss.
The Celtics led by as many as 14 in the second half before the Bucks surged and took the lead late but stayed poised. Sam Hauser sank a 30-foot 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation that forced the extra session, where the Celtics took an early five-point lead. But Jrue Holiday’s 40 points — including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining — pushed the Bucks to victory as the Celtics lost steam.
