Saved by Dennis Schröder’s 38 points, the Boston Celtics had to fight in overtime to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113 on their court, who could not count on their stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
The reigning NBA champions booked Antetokounmpo at the last minute for his right ankle discomfort.
The Celtics, who also do not have their Jaylen Brown figure due to injury, could not take off on the scoreboard throughout the game or finish in the last possession of regulation time.
Grayson Allen nailed a 3-pointer for the Bucks with 13 seconds left to tie it at 108 and Jayson Tatum missed a mid-range shot on the horn to the frustration of the TD Garden crowd.
The Celtics resolved the clash in overtime led by German point guard Dennis Schröder, who scored 8 of his 28 points in overtime.
Tatum, meanwhile, contributed 27 points for the Celtics, who continue to fight for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
For the Bucks, center Bobby Portis was the leading scorer with 22 points and Grayson Allen finished with 21.
In Charlotte, the Hornets beat a disappointing New York Knicks 104-96, who wasted a great start to the game.
Against the team he led for eight seasons, veteran point guard Kemba Walker scored 17 points for the Knicks in the first quarter.
The New York team prevailed in that quarter by 34-18 but later it was diluted victim of its offensive inefficiency, with a final percentage of 38.7% in field goals.
Walker finished with 26 points while team star Julius Randle stayed at 10 points with a poor 4/15 stat.
For the Hornets, forwards Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward signed 24 and 22 points while the young LaMelo Ball shone with 12 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists and 5 steals.
In another of the 11 games of the day, the Cleveland Cavaliers overwhelmed the Detroit Pistons 98-78 with 21 points and 7 assists from point guard Darius Garland.
Starting from the bench, the Spanish Ricky Rubio played 27 minutes achieving 5 points, 9 assists and 5 steals. (AFP)