Al Horford and Terry Rozier each scored 26 points Saturday night, as the Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 112-96 in a decisive game seven of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup. Boston wins the series 4-3, and will now face the Philadelphia 76ers in the semifinal round.
Boston led most of the first half, pushing out to a 13 point advantage in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime. Milwaukee got within three in the third quarter, before a Boston 11-2 spurt pushed the lead back to 16 that included three pointers by Rozier and Marcus Morris on consecutive possessions. The Celtics were able to increase to a 19 point lead in the fourth, and the Bucks never got closer than 11. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown left with hamstring tightness in the second quarter, and never returned.
Horford and Rozier went a combined 23-43 shooting from the floor. Horford added eight rebounds and three assists. Rozier had six rebounds and nine assists. Duke rookie Jayson Tatum also put in 20 points and added six rebounds, and five assists.
Khris Middleton led all scorers with 32 points on 11-18 shooting. Eric Bledsoe had 23 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Boston and Philadelphia begin their semifinal series Monday night at TD Garden, with tip scheduled for 8 pm.
