Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday help Bucks rally past Celtics

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The Milwaukee Bucks turned up their defensive intensity just in time Thursday night to beat the short-handed Boston Celtics and take over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Once the playoffs arrive, they're hoping they can make those game-changing runs a little earlier.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday each scored 29 points and the Bucks defeated the Celtics 127-121 by closing with a 9-0 spurt.

"It would be a lot easier if we don’t wait until the last quarter or last couple of minutes to get stops, but it happens," said Milwaukee's Khris Middleton, who had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. "No matter how the game’s going, I just love the way we keep competing."

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Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo drives past Boston Celtics' Aaron Nesmith during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Miami (52-28) has clinched the East's top seed, but the projected playoff order of teams behind the Heat remains uncertain.

The Bucks (50-30) moved a half-game ahead of the Celtics (50-31) and a full game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (49-31), who lost 119-114 at Toronto on Thursday. Milwaukee visits the Detroit Pistons on Friday and Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday in its final two regular-season games.

Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Boston's Jaylen Brown, who had 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Brown’s 11 assists matched his career high.

One night after a 117-94 victory at Chicago, the Celtics held Jayson Tatum and Al Horford out of Thursday’s game. They also were missing Robert Williams III, who