Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Bucks rally past Celtics

The Bucks hosted the Celtics in the second of five NBA games on Christmas Day.

It was a thriller.

Having faced the possibility of Giannis Antetokounmpo not playing on Christmas Day, the two-time MVP made his presence felt on his return to action. Antetokounmpo followed a relatively uneventful first half with a 29-point effort in the final 24 minutes of the game, finishing with 36 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to take Milwaukee 19 points down.

Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from the Celtics vs. Bucks Christmas Day matchup. Follow for complete results.

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Celtics vs. Bucks Live Updates, Highlights of the NBA Christmas Game

Final: Bucks 117, Celtics 113

5:08 pm – Khris Middleton splits a pair of free throws to put the Bucks up four with 5.8 seconds left.

The Bucks complete the comeback on Christmas Day, beating the Celtics 70-51 in the second half.

5:05 pm – Bucks ball!

Milwaukee is eight seconds away from completing the comeback.

5:03 pm – The Bucks lead by 3 while Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing it all.

A big lockout has started a review as the Celtics wait to see if they have one last chance to fix things.

The Bucks lead 116-113 with 8.0 seconds to play.

5:00 pm – After a wild sequence, Wesley Matthews gives the Bucks their first lead of the game with 30 seconds left!

Milwaukee leads 114-113 with just 30.3 seconds left in regulation.

The Bucks’ furious rally continues as they look to complete the comeback from 19 points down.

4:57 pm – Giannis Antetokounmpo ties him up!

Giannis takes the rim and the damage, but fails to connect on the free throw.

Everything is tied at 111 with less than 1:30 to play.

Jaylen Brown has a chance to put the Celtics back ahead with a trip to the line.

4:52 pm – The Celtics always have an answer for the Bucks.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo cut the deficit to four with a jump shot, Jaylen Brown calmly knocked down a jump shot to make it a six-point game again.

Antetokounmpo has as many as 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the game, while Brown has scored 22 for the Celtics.

Boston leads 111-105 with 3:16 remaining.

4:48 pm – Here come the Bucks.

A Wesley Matthews 3 cuts the deficit to six and we have a two-possession game with less than five minutes to go.

The Celtics lead 109-103 with 4:14 to play.

4:38 pm – Jabari Parker is helping the Celtics get away from their former team.

The former Bucks lottery pick has nine points at the start of the quarter and the The Celtics lead 102-90 with 9:11 left in the game.

Does Milwaukee have one more inside?

Third Quarter End: Celtics 94, Bucks 90

4:29 pm – How about a 43-point quarter for the Bucks to do it again?

Milwaukee, which has yet to lead in the game, has cut the deficit to just one point with a monstrous third quarter.

Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have shaken off the rust as he has 24 points in the game after scoring 17 points in the third quarter.

The two-time MVP will be looking to get his team out of the hump in a game that could very well go all the way.

4:17 pm – The Bucks continue to rise again.

There are less than four minutes left in the third and Milwaukee has cut the deficit to four.

Celtics lead 87-83 with 3:15 remembering in the third.

4:05 pm – After a relatively uneventful first half, Giannis Antetokounmpo has nine points in the first three minutes of the second half.

Antetokounmpo now has 16 points thanks to units like these:

4:01 pm – It’s a solid start to the half for the Bucks, who have cut the deficit to 10 points from the start.

Milwaukee is behind 71-61 with 9:10 remaining in the third.

So far, the Celtics have responded to every run, will they ever have an answer again?

Halftime: Celtics 62, Bucks 47

3:41 pm – A George Hill triple cuts the deficit a bit, but the Celtics take a 15-point lead at halftime.

The Celtics, who are shooting 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from deep, are led by 19 points from Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum has added 13 points and Payton Pritchard has scored 11 points off the bench.

Khris Middleton’s 11 points paves the way for the Bucks, while Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored seven points (on 3 of 8 shooting) on ​​his return to action.

3:36 pm – Third Boston party!

The Celtics have now used 10 3-pointers in the first half, just two less than their season average. That … has been a problem for the Bucks and the difference so far in the game.

3:32 pm – The Bucks are nailing again!

Khris Middleton sinks his third triple of the game to cut the deficit to 10 and the Celtics call a timeout. Middleton has up to 11 points in the game.

Boston leads 52-42 with 1:55 to play in the first half.

Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 17 points, while second-year guard Payton Pritchard has 11 points and four assists in 16 minutes from the bench.

3:26 pm – After losing up to 19 points, Milwaukee is looking to make the halftime deficit more manageable.

A potential hurdle is foul trouble, as Giannis Antetokounmpo has picked up his third foul with more than five minutes to go in the first half.

3:14 pm – Jayson Tatum’s 3-pointer gives the Celtics a 16-point lead and Mike Budenholzer signals another time out for the Bucks.

Boston leads 40-24 with 9:56 remaining in the second quarter.

Tatum now has five points in the game and the Celtics are now 5 of 11 from deep.

3:11 pm – Jaylen Brown suffered a broken tooth, but is available to return.

End of the first quarter: Celtics 35, Bucks 22

3:07 pm – A quarter is on the books and the Celtics have made a strong statement.

Behind Jaylen Brown’s 14 points, Boston leads by 13 points after a quarter. As a team, Boston is shooting 57.7 percent from the field, including 4-of-9 from deep.

Brown exited the game and headed to the locker room after an incidental blow to the face from Jayson Tatum.

The Bucks, who are shooting 10 of 24 from the field, are led by seven points from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

2:58 pm – Thanks to a hot start, the Celtics have built a double-digit lead when the first frame comes to an end.

Boston leads 31-16 with 2:46 left in the fourth.

Jaylen Brown leads all scorers with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting, while the Celtics are shooting 13 of 20 from the field as a team.

The Bucks, on the other hand, are shooting 7 of 18 from the field early on. On his return to action, Giannis Antetokounmpo has three points on 1 of 5 shots.

Fittingly, his first field goal was a dunk.

2:45 pm – Boston builds a quick seven-point lead, prompting Mike Budenholzer to signal an early timeout.

The Celtics lead 12-5 with 9:16 remaining in the first quarter.

2:41 pm – A Romeo Langford 3 puts the Celtics on the board first and the Christmas Day festivities are underway in Milwaukee.

Before the game

2:15 pm – Donte DiVincenzo looks set for his first NBA action since May 27.

12:42 pm – The Celtics have announced that Dennis Schroder has entered health and safety protocols. He will not play on Christmas Day.

11:54 am – According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski , Marcus Smart (hip contusion) will be a game-time decision.

11:30 am – Bruno Fernando, Enes Freedom, Sam Hauser, Justin Jackson, CJ Miles, Aaron Nesmith, Josh Richardson and Grant Williams are out for the Celtics. Only Brook Lopez is on the Bucks roster.

9:59 am – Good news for the Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo will make his season debut against the Celtics today, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania .

How to watch Celtics vs Bucks on Christmas Day

• Date: Saturday December 25
• Hour: 2:30 pm ET
• Television channel: ABC
• Live broadcast: Watch ESPN | Sling tv

NBA Christmas Day schedule

The five games are split between ESPN and ABC. All times below are Eastern Standard Time.

You can stream all the action on Sling TV.