BOSTON — The Celtics and Bucks met in the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic, which honors the rich history of the league, and on this day, the Celtics, to highlight the contributions of the players who carried the team and the league through its formative years. 

The Celtics overcame a slow start and took a 31-point lead at one point, ultimately winning the game 107-79.

The Celtics fell behind by 12, but Anfernee Simons scored 11 points in six minutes to lead a big run that tied the game at 26 after one quarter. Boston dominated the offensive glass, hit half their shots, and got to the line the second to slowly build a 14-point halftime lead. The third quarter wasn’t the prettiest, with 13 fouls between both teams, four Boston turnovers, and 32% combined shooting between both teams, but Boston got the lead to 22 at one point before it settled at 17 heading into the fourth. Simons and Jaylen Brown combined to outscore the Buck by themselves in the fourth quarter as the Celtics pulled away. 

Here are four reasons why the Celtics won. 

They crashed the offensive glass

The Celtics kept giving themselves second chances all night long, but especially in the second quarter when they were building their double-digit lead. Luka Garza did his usual work, but Jordan Walsh was the star on the offensive glass with five. The Celtics also showcased their specialty, tracking down long rebounds at the free throw line area after missed three-pointers. 

They finished with 17 offensive boards, which gave them 10 more field goal attempts. 

Anfernee Simons got hot off the bench

He dropped 11 points in six minutes to help erase Milwaukee’s early 12-point lead. He then got it going again in the third quarter. He also hit some timely shots as the Bucks were trying to make late runs. 

Anfernee from DEEEEEEEP 🎯 pic.twitter.com/is5NwhIIqW

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 1, 2026

“That’s kind of been his role, and he’s done a great job buying into it really on both ends of the floor,” Joe Mazzulla said. “But just to have another guy that could take pressure off the others and really just kind of score seamlessly, whether it’s catch-and-shoot shots, whether it’s off the dribble, whether it’s driving to the basket, he’s played his role for us tremendously.”

He finished with 27 points on 10-18 shooting (6-10 3pt). 

Jaylen Brown recovered from a tough first quarter

JB with THREE defenders around him 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Qt4XMquCVS

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 1, 2026

Brown, like the rest of the Celtics, started a little slow, going 1-4 in the first quarter and scoring just three points. He picked it up after that, finishing with 30 points on 12-20 shooting (4-6 3pt). He added 13 rebounds, for his third double-digit rebounding game. The other two were part of his two triple-doubles this season. 

“I thought the three at the end of the first half, which got us the situational possessions that we needed, I thought he got three straight rebounds that were big for us,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously what he’s been doing for us on the offensive end, but all the little things that go into it, he knows that that’s how he impacts winning. So that’s just another way that he leads, is his understanding of what gives us the best chance to win every night.” 

Brown’s mid-range jumper, which kind of abandoned him in January, was on point, especially in the third quarter to help the Celtics establish their biggest lead. He was 6-12 overall from the mid-range in this game.

The Bucks stopped hitting everything 

Milwaukee came out blistering hot, shooting 10-18 in the first quarter (5-8 3pt). But they shot 7-19 (2-7) in the second quarter, 5-22 (1-9) in the third, and 7-23 (2-10) in the fourth. I’ll do the math for you: That’s 29.7% shooting overall in the final three quarters, and 19.2% from three. 

Gross. 

“It’s hard to create shots,” Doc Rivers said after the game. “Whenever we took [Ryan Rollins] off the floor, Bobby [Portis] off the floor, the scoring came to a halt. That’s tough. Trying to get the bal movement and the spacing and getting guys time to the shots off, it’s very difficult.” 

Rollins had 25 points on 10-16 shooting, but 12 of those came in the first quarter. It looked for a moment that he was going to bury the Celtics but they were able to keep him in check to some degree after the hot start. 

OTHER NOTES

Neemias Queta had nice night, scoring 14 points on 7-10 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing four assists. Three of his rebounds were offensive.Derrick White: 17 points (6-14 fg, 3-7 3pt), seven rebounds (three offensive), five assists. White’s rebounds came while crashing to the nail, or the free throw line area, to track down long rebounds. The Celtics only turned it over 10 times, and four of those came in a sloppy second quarter, so the ball protection was pretty good in this game.