Anfernee Simons (left) came off the bench to provide a major boost for the Celtics.
Anfernee Simons (left) came off the bench to provide a major boost for the Celtics.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
With the NBA trade deadline approaching and Anfernee Simons playing on an expired deal, his name has been suggested for a potential deal in the coming days. Simons provided reasons why the Celtics should retain their best bench scorer with an impressive display Sunday afternoon.
Simons scored the Celtics’ 11 points of the opening period to dig the team out of a 12-point deficit and then spent the rest of the day with timely buckets as Boston ended a four-game homestand with a 107-79 over the struggling Milwaukee Bucks.
Simons scored 27 points for the Celtics on 10-for-18 shooting while Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 30 points and 13 rebounds, coming back from a one-game absence with injury. Boston took its first lead on a Payton Pritchard 3-pointer 24 seconds into the second period and never trailed again.
Derrick White scored 17 points for the Celtics while Neemias Queta added 14. The Bucks, who jumped out to a 12-0 lead, was led by Ryan Rollins’s 25 points while Kyle Kuzma added 16. Milwaukee began the game making 10 of its first 18 shots but finished 19 for 63 in the final three quarters.
For Simons, it was his ninth game of 20 or more points this season and fourth game with six or more 3-pointers.
Brown responded from a quiet first half with a pair of jumpers to begin the third quarter and Derrick White added a pull-up jumper for a 15-point lead, prompting a quick timeout from Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers.
The run continued with a 3-point play from Brown and then another 3-pointer and the lead swelled to 22 after a Neemias Queta layup at the 6:40 mark. But the Celtics then went 5:12 without a point and the Bucks rolled off 9 consecutive points to stay competitive.
Simons broke the scoring skid with a jumper and the Celtics then put together some defensive stops to prevent the lead from shrinking. Brown scored 12 points in the period and the Celtics led 78-61 despite shooting 42.3 percent from the field and missing 21 of 31 3-pointers. The Bucks, after hitting their first five shots, shot 37.9 percent from the field through three periods.
Perhaps the afternoon start impacted the Celtics, but they looked a step slow for the first three minutes, allowing the Bucks to run out to a 12-0 lead behind the shooting of Ryan Rollins.
Brown’s corner 3-pointer with 3:47 into the opening period was Boston’s first points and the skid was over. With Simons coming off the bench to provide a spark, the Celtics evened the game at 26 after the first period. Simons scored the final 11 points of the frame.
The bench, with Jordan Walsh chasing rebounds, helped the Celtics gain control as the second quarter progressed. They ended the first half on a 14-2 run with Derrick White scoring a pair of buckets along with a Brown layup in the final second for a 56-42 lead.
Milwaukee, losers of four straight, entered Sunday with the future of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hovering over the franchise. The two-time MVP is out with a calf injury and the team appears headed for the draft lottery.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and the Bucks finally appear open to listening to offers for their franchise player. The organization attempted to build a solid core around Antetokounmpo but it has failed and the Bucks are not in a position to sign free agents to create a championship contending team.
Former Celtics coach Doc Rivers has been in the middle of this franchise decline and has tried coaching up a flawed roster but the Bucks entered Sunday 3-13 without Antetokounmpo.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.