BOSTON — Al Horford and Terry Rozier scored 26 points apiece, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in a basket Saturday night for the Celtics to help Boston beat Milwaukee 112-96 in Game 7 of their first-round series, eliminating the Bucks from the playoffs.
Horford had eight rebounds, Rozier finished with nine assists and Jayson Tatum added 20 points for the Celtics, who rode the home-court advantage to win all four games in Boston and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year.
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WHO: 76ers at Celtics
WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday
TELEVISION: TNT
They will meet the Philadelphia 76ers, with Game 1 in Boston on Monday night.
Khris Middleton scored 32 points, Eric Bledsoe had 23, and Antetokounmpo had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee has advanced from the first round just once since 1989, losing nine straight playoff series since Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell brought Coach George Karl to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001.
Playing in their NBA-record 31st Game 7, the Celts improved to 20-4 at home and 23-8 overall in best-of-seven clinchers.
Tatum had nine points in the first quarter, when the Celtics scored 15 straight points, including a tip-in by Antetokounmpo into the Boston basket, and 20 of the last 22 to end the quarter with a 30-17 lead.
Milwaukee scored 11 straight at the beginning of the second to make it a two-point game, but Boston answered with nine straight to make it 41-30.
The Celtics led 50-42 at the half despite going 1 of 12 from 3-point range. Horford had 14 points and seven rebounds at the break, and Bledsoe totaled 12 points for the Bucks.
Milwaukee cut the deficit to three points early in the third, but Boston scored 11 of the last 15 points in the quarter.
Jaylen Brown of the Celtics limped to the locker room late in the second quarter, came out to test his sore right hamstring just before the start of the second half, then went back into the tunnel. The team said he could return, but he didn’t.
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