There was a battle of NBA heavyweights scheduled on Thursday, as the two top teams in the Eastern Conference were set to square off. The Boston Celtics were on the second night of a back-to-back, and their fatigue showed early as the Milwaukee Bucks had the most dominant first half that we’ve seen from any team so far this season.

Bucks Jump Out To Most Dominant First Half Of NBA Season

The Bucks outscored the Celtics by 37 points in the first half pic.twitter.com/mGsSQpJc7h

— ESPN BET (@ESPNBet) January 12, 2024

The first six minutes started out normally enough, as a Kristaps Porzingis dunk with just over 5 minutes shortened the Bucks lead to 21-17. But Milwaukee finished the first quarter on a 20-6 run, and continued the onslaught once the second quarter began. Jayson Tatum and company went completely cold in the second frame, scoring just 15 points while giving up 34 to the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points at the half, more than Tatum, Porzingis, and Derrick White combined.

By the time the buzzer sounded for halftime, the Bucks had opened a 37-point lead, the largest first half margin in the NBA so far this season. It was the largest first-half deficit for the Celtics since 1967, and the second-largest in the history of their franchise.

The Celtics Essentially Gave Up At Halftime

THE CELTICS FACE THEIR LARGEST HALFTIME DEFICIT SINCE 1967 pic.twitter.com/Mv2Zd8rsJ3

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 12, 2024

Things were so bad, that head coach Joe Mazzulla made a complete lineup change at the half. Instead of seeing Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the starters, Mazzulla emptied the bench and had the substitutes take over for the third quarter. According to the sideline report on TNT, the starting five was done for the night as Boston waved the white flag due to an insurmountable lead by Milwaukee.

The dominant performance was much needed for the Bucks. They entered the game having lost four of their last five games, including two against the Pacers and the most recent against the Jazz, and had fallen to a full four games back of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings.

But the win will help close the gap. As for Boston, it will mark their second loss in the last three games, with the win coming on Wednesday night in overtime against the Timberwolves, which was likely the culprit for the tired legs. They will fly home after the game and take a day off before playing against the Rockets on Saturday.