Five weeks of waiting... and the good feeling didn't last one quarter.
It wasn't entirely or even mostly the fault of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was back in the lineup after missing more than a month with his latest calf injury. He did some work in his 25 minutes, even if he wasn't especially efficient -- making just 7 of 18 shots, well below his seasonal norm. He did finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but was a minus-16.
The problem was, well, everything else.
A Bucks team that got blown out by the Knicks and then gave up a 27-0 fourth quarter run to the hapless Bulls was no match for a Boston Celtics team that is still missing Jayson Tatum and was also missing All-NBA candidate Jaylen Brown.
Instead, it was.... Hugo Gonzalez who stepped forward.
Yesterday: career night for Neemias Queta
Today: career night for Hugo González ð¥
18 PTS, 16 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK for the @celtics rookie! pic.twitter.com/hj1SjEBOXY
— NBA (@NBA) March 3, 2026
Yes, Hugo Gonzalez.
The rookie guard, picked 28th overall by the Celtics in June, had 18 pounds and 16 (!) rebounds in the Celtics' 108-81 victory. Boston led by 10 after the first and was never challenged. Giannis didn't even play in the fourth quarter. Gonzalez entered the game averaging 15 minutes in his 54 appearances, with 3.3 rebounds per appearance. He had five nights' of rebounding work in one.
Giannis famously said on social media, after the Bucks kept him past the trade deadline that "legends don't chase, they attract." Maybe he needs to attract Hugo Gonzalez.
Derrick White
Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
In addition to Gonzalez's unexpected production in his spot start, the surprising Celtics got double figure scoring from all four other starters: not all household names. That included Sam Hauser and second-year man Baylor Schierman. Derrick White stablized the Celtics' starters with nine assists, even though he shot poorly, and Payton Pritchard hit five three-pointers and scored 25 points off teh bench.
All in all, even with some new faces, the Bucks didn't look much better than before Giannis got hurt. Doc Rivers surprisingly benched Ryan Rollins, and the Bucks' revelatory guard was ineffective in that role. Myles Turner, the big free agent acquisition, made one field goal in 19 minutes. AJ Green missed all three of his shots. Kevin Porter, Jr., who has had a big month, took a back seat with just six shots and eight points. And Kyle Kuzma, who was a bridge back to Giannis, didn't play a minute.
Rivers called it a "coach's decision."
The Bucks have now scored just 89 points in their last five quarters.
Hardly the ideal way to welcome Giannis back, as time to chase down a play-in spot keeps going gone, gone, Hugo Gonzalez.