With an excellent fourth period from its star, Boston condemns an increasingly disappointing Milwaukee. Fatal free throws for the Pistons
Gian Marco Calvaresi
November 11th – 00:30 – MILAN
Two games decided at the end to open NBA Sunday: the Celtics move on to the Fiserv Forum with a super Tatum, plunging the Bucks deeper into crisis despite a Herculean performance from Antetokounmpo: eighth defeat of the season for Rivers’ team. In Detroit, Harris’ free throw errors condemn Fontecchio’s Pistons against the Rockets, who win with Sengun’s double double.
Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics 107-113
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Antetokounmpo had started to sound the charge with his statements after the defeat suffered in New York, and the response on the field was not long in coming: 16-2 partial by the Bucks (2-8) in the first 3′ of the match, with Giannis and Prince perfect from the field. The reaction from the Celtics (9-2) arrives, but Milwaukee’s first half borders on perfection. Doc Rivers’ team shoots 58% from 3 points before the long break, and Giannis dominates in both halves: 27 points with 12/16 shooting and two blocks for The Greek Freak. Numbers that would knock out any other team, but not these Celtics: the reigning champions remain in the game thanks to Pritchard’s triples (5/8 in the first half), and take the lead when Milwaukee’s percentages drop. White and Holiday are diabolical between defense, triples and offensive rebounds, and Tatum leads his team’s comeback with an 11-point third quarter. The Bucks, however, resist: Lillard shoots poorly, but makes his presence felt in defense with three steals, and points come from the bench from Bobby Portis and AJ Green. The two teams arrive to play the final point by point, and Tatum and Holiday take the stage: JT with two triples in the clutch to put the Celtics in front, Jrue with the defense on Lillard and the offensive rebound with 37 seconds left.
Milwaukee: Antetokounmpo 43 (18/29, 1/2 3pt, 6/10 tl), Portis 15, Lillard 14. Rebounds: Antetokounmpo 13. Assists: Lillard 6. Boston: Tatum 31 (7/21, 4/12 3pt, 14). 13/15 tl), Pritchard 18, Holiday and White Rebounds: Tatum 12. Assists: White
Detroit Pistons-Houston Rockets 99-101
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Crazy game at the Little Caesar Arena between Pistons (4-7) and Rockets (6-4): in the end Houston wins, after an incredible series of errors and a comeback by Detroit that ends with Harris’ errors on the line. The game starts slowly between one set and the other, the two teams shoot poorly from 3 points (the Rockets even with 20%), but the Texans manage to take the lead thanks to Sengun’s physicality and Tari’s impact from the bench Eason: the Louisiana State wing captures 4 offensive rebounds out of the team’s 17 overall, while the Turkish center finishes with a double double (27 points and 10 rebounds), with the decisive basket 1.30′ from the end. The game seems to definitively go Houston’s way with Jalen Green’s powerful poster on Cade Cunningham, but Detroit makes a furious comeback towards the end and ends up down by two points a few seconds before the siren. Cunningham, author of another excellent performance, purposely misses the second free throw and in the melee under the basket Harris comes out the winner, who is fouled and goes to the line with two tenths to play. His mistakes, however, condemn Fontecchio’s Pistons, who were not very incisive in attack in the fifteen minutes he was on the pitch (5 points with 1/4 shooting).
Detroit: Cunningham 26 (10/22, 2/4 3pt, 4/6 t.l.), Stewart 16, Beasley 15. Rimbalzi: Cunningham 8. Assist: Cunningham 9. Houston: Sengun 27( 11/17, 0/0 3pt, 5/7 t.l.), Eason 18, Green 15. Rimbalzi: Sengun 10. Assist: VanVleet 7.
