Wins are hard to come by for Milwaukee Bucks these days but on Thursday night against a tough opponent, they played with sense of urgency and desperation. Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, and the point guards teamed up to give their fans something to cheer for.
The veteran forward walked the talked as he led his team to a victory with a game high and his season high 31 points to a victory over the Boston Celtics. It was not just him who led the charge.
Bobby Portis had 27 points and 10 assists while Kevin Porter Jr. notched a triple double of 18-10-13. Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points while Ryan Rollins added 10.
An NBA analyst says it is a statement win.
The Bucks aren’t messing around with all of the Giannis noise in the background.
Milwaukee delivers a statement win over the Celtics tonight with 31 points from Kyle Kuzma, 27 & 10 from Bobby Portis, and a triple-double for Kevin Porter Jr. — Great response by the Bucks.
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) December 12, 2025
The guys came out to play and played their role almost to a perfection. Gary Harris has the most amazing statline among them despite him not scoring at all.
Harris, who the team acquired over the summer, played 33 minutes and amazingly has the highest plus/minus numbers at +26. Even fans found it unusual.
What a box score.
Kuzma: 31 pts / 0 ast / 13-17 FG
Bobby: 27 pts / 0 ast / 11-13 FG
KPJ: 18 pts / 10 reb / 13 ast
Gary Harris: 33 mins / 0 pts / +26— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) December 12, 2025
Gary Harris is doing too much on defense for all of the hate posts I keep seeing. He’s solid. I’m fine if he doesn’t accumulate stats. Bucks need more guys who don’t care about those.
— Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) December 12, 2025
He might be the GOAT for this stats.
Gary Harris when it comes to putting up the least stats possible in 25+ minutes pic.twitter.com/2hM6lKxmHa
— beardnnis (@bucksinsix2024) December 12, 2025
Yall better start respecting Gary Harris. He’s been so good for us. 0 points and a team leading +26. 2021 Pj Tucker type games.
— Mallory Edens Burner (@MalloryBurner) December 12, 2025
Love how the Bucks have been applying high ball pressure tonight and taking away outside looks for the Celtics
Boston’s inability to get going from beyond the arc is why they’ve fallen behind in this one
Shoutout Gary Harris, he’s really been working through screens
— Finn Kuehl (@finleykuehl) December 12, 2025
Kyle Kuzma’s quote got to the team
The Bucks are not in a good place right now with the rumors allegedly penetrating the the locker room. This all has a lot to do with the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. They also received the bad news that AJ Green will remain out for them.
Kuzma said before the game that the next stretch while without Antetokounmpo is out will be crucial for them.
“I think it’s a very pivotal time for us. It’s sink or swim. We have to treat it like that,” he told reporters during practice.
They responded big time with the victory. They usually lose in the third quarter but not this time as they used a 27-13 surge to eclipse the 7-point lead the Celtics built before halftime.
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