The Celtics and the Bucks have met three times in the playoffs in the last five seasons, and the brilliant rivalry between the Eastern Conference’s top teams delivered another sensational battle on Wednesday as an understrength Boston took Milwaukee to overtime before finally falling short 131-125.

The Celtics (now 41-17) entered the blockbuster game on a four-game win streak, but the Bucks scraped home in an epic encounter to extend their streak to 11-straight wins and take their record to 40-17, one game behind number-one Boston.

Without a host of stars including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford, the Celtics were never expected to be able to contend with Giannis Antetokounmpo and co.

But their incredible depth was on full display as they led by as many as 14 points before running out of legs in overtime as Jrue Holiday exploded on a career night.

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Boston small forward Sam Hauser’s three-pointer sent the game to overtime on the back of a rollercoaster back-and-forth encounter. But a Jrue Holiday three-pointer gave the Bucks a three-point with 25.2 seconds to go, before Grant Williams lost control of the ball under the Bucks’ relentless pressure. Grayson Allen nabbed the steal and Antetokounmpo drew a clear path foul that earned him two attempts from the line plus the ball back to the Bucks.

Having started the game with by shooting just four of his first 11 free throws, Antetokounmpo drained the final pair to finish with seven successful free throws from his final eight attempts. Antetokounmpo then capped off the win with a powerful dunk, taking him to 34 points to go with 13 rebounds and nine assists in a near triple-double.

Holiday led the game with an equal career-high 40 points including 8 of 12 three pointers (also a career-high), plus five rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.

“I don’t really, I guess, care for how I’m playing as long as we’re winning,” Holiday said afterwards. “As long as we get the win, I’m okay. The only stat I look at is turnovers. That’s kind of how I determine if I had a good or bad game.

“Tonight, what did I have, five turnovers? To me, I’m like – that hurts my soul.

“For me it doesn’t matter if I score: I want to make plays on defense when I’m on the court.”

Derrick White led the way for the Celtics with 27 points and 12 assists, while Malcolm Brogdon had 26 points off the bench and all five starters all hit double-digits in the points column.

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Aussie veteran Joe Ingles was back to his cheeky best in the game, copping a technical foul for his antics against a former teammate.

Early in the second quarter, 35-year-old Ingles drew an illegal screen from Blake Griffin, and responded by tapping his rival lightly on the head before wandering off down the court.

While it was clearly a lighthearted move, Griffin didn’t take things too well, while Boston coach Joe Mazzulla also expressed his displeasure. Ingles was left in disbelief as he copped a tech.

It’s not the first time the two have shared a funny moment on the court. In January 2019, Ingles labelled Griffin a ‘flopper’ after he drew an illegal screen from the Australian and tumbled to the floor.

Ingles and Griffin were previously together at the LA Clippers in the 2014-15 pre-season, though Ingles never played for Los Angeles.

The Aussie finished with eight points, six rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes off the bench.

That included a crucial three-pointer as the Bucks went on a 12-3 run at the end of the third quarter, getting them back in contention after being down by as many 14 in the period. The hot streak continued as Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the first seven points of the half to deliver the Bucks the lead.

The wild back-and-forth continued as the teams traded the lead time and again.

Antetokounmpo suffered an injury scare late in the quarter, going down clutching his right knee and writhing in pain. He managed to regain his feet after some time and played on.

The insane continued until the final seconds of regular time, with Antetokounmpo somehow missing a driving lay-up with 23.1s remaining after a wayward Middleton three was recovered by the Bucks.

That gave the Celtics a chance of clawing back from 114-111. Malcolm Brogdon made a dunk to reduce the lead to one, before Jrue Holiday drained two free throws to make it 116-113.

But Sam Hauser was not fouled – despite the Bucks having one to give – as he drained a three-pointer to level the scores with three seconds to go. Middleton’s matchwinner under immense pressure went wayward as the thrilling clash went to overtime.

From there, Derrick White scored a lay-up before a three-pointer to hand the Celtics a quick five-point lead, before Holiday and Antetokounmpo stood tall at the death to deliver the Bucks a massive win.

Their 11th-straight victory is the Bucks’ longest streak since 2019.

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Elsewhere, 33 points from Kawhi Leonard sparked the Los Angeles Clippers to a 134-124 win over the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Leonard’s points tally included seven-of-nine from three-point range. Norman Powell added 24 from the bench with Paul George 20.

The Warriors scoring was led by Jordan Poole with 28 points.

In Portland, Damian Lillard came within a whisker of another 40-point game but it was not enough to stop the Trail Blazers suffering a comprehensive 126-101 loss to the Washington Wizards.

Lillard finished with 39 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Wizards proved too strong however with Kyle Kuzma (33) and Kristaps Porzingis (28) combining for 61 points.

In Phoenix, the Suns warmed up for the imminent arrival of new signing Kevin Durant with a 120-109 defeat of the Sacramento Kings.

Devin Booker led the Phoenix scoring with 32 points while Deandre Ayton added 29 points, with Durant given a standing ovation as he attended his first home game with his new team.

Durant hasn’t played since January 12 with a knee injury, but is participating in some training drills as he continues his recovery.

OTHER SCORES

Orlando Magic 113-123 Toronto Raptors