Tatum, Brown star as Celtics rip Bucks

LOS ANGELES: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 70 points as the Boston Celtics crushed the Milwaukee Bucks 140-99 in a one-sided clash of the NBA’s best two teams on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Tatum produced a scintillating performance that included eight three-pointers in a 40-point haul, while Brown shot 13-of-20 to finish with 30 points as Milwaukee were sent spinning to their heaviest loss of the season.

The defeat was a sobering reality check for the Bucks, who are leading the Eastern Conference and expected to claim top seeding in the playoffs.

Milwaukee (55-22) lead Boston (53-24) by two games with five regular season fixtures remaining.

Second-placed Boston however landed what may turn out to be a psychological body blow as the postseason looms with a ruthless beatdown that left Milwaukee’s home fans in stunned silence.

“We just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Brown said.

“We just wanted to come out and play good basketball and that’s what we did.”

Tensions flared in the closing stages of the blowout, with Milwaukee’s Thanasis Antetokounmpo ejected for aiming a head butt at Boston’s Blake Griffin.

“It’s that time of year,” Brown said. “We’re all getting ready for the playoffs, it’s backs against the wall and survival of the fittest. We want to be the last team on top and they’re one of the teams we’ve got to go through.”

Tatum was in no mood to wallow in the victory, pointing out that Boston faces another road game on Friday against Utah.

“We have to forget about tonight. We want to show how good of a team we are by the way we respond tomorrow,” Tatum said. “That’s all that matters at this point.”

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said the result was a timely reminder of what might happen in the playoffs if the two sides met again.

“We know what the deal is. It’s not hard to understand. If you’re not focused, if you don’t play hard, they’re going to kick our ass,” Antetokounmpo said.