The Boston Celtics have held the best record in the NBA for most of the 2023-24 season, and after rattling off six consecutive double-digit wins, they were looking for a challenge on Wednesday night. They got one versus the Milwaukee Bucks, but it didn't go exactly as planned.

Instead of the Bucks being at full health, star center Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out with a hamstring injury. Boston seemed on its way to another blowout once it went up 21 points early in the fourth quarter. However, the Bucks didn't go down without a fight, and the C's had to hold off Milwaukee's late-game push to seal a 122-119 victory.

In the win, the Celtics also had a surprising hero. Point guard Payton Pritchard was huge off the bench, providing 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of play. The 6-foot-1 Oregon native was fighting for offensive rebounds and splashing critical 3-pointers, and he thanked a specific Buck for his performance.

Patrick Beverley fired up Payton Pritchard, Celtics

Bucks guard Patrick Beverley, who has a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents, hit Celtics center Luke Kornet with a “too small” gesture after scoring on him early in the second quarter.

This wasn't the only time he did it either. The Chicago native drove in for a tough layup against Kornet minutes later and said the 7-footer was “too small” again. Then, with 10:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, Beverley fouled Celtics guard Derrick White and exchanged some heated words with him.

Pritchard noticed all of this, and in the words of Michael Jordan, he took it personally, per Jay King of The Athletic.

“I feel like he was just trying to clown one of our teammates,” Pritchard said. “So I definitely took it a little personal.”

Beverley finished with nine points and a plus-minus rating of -13, which was the worst of any Milwaukee player. Conversely, Pritchard had a +2 rating and went an efficient 7-of-11 from the floor. They both made their marks on the matchup, but Pritchard backed up his game with big shots.

As for the rest of the C's, they played well for the majority of the contest but started to slip in the fourth quarter. Boston shot a rough five for 18 in the final 12 minutes and nearly lost its hold on the game.

Yet, when the Bucks cut Boston's lead down to three with less than three minutes left, the Celtics' stars stepped up. Jayson Tatum hit his free throws down the stretch and made a pivotal layup with 1:38 to go.

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On the next possession, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis crashed the boards following a Tatum miss and slammed it home.

Lastly, guard Jaylen Brown defended Bucks star Damian Lillard and forced him into a missed layup with just 15 seconds remaining. Once Boston collected that rebound, it had practically secured the win.

Since the Celtics prevailed, they are now the winners of the Atlantic Division and clinched at least the second seed in the Eastern Conference. At present, the C's are in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 55-14 overall record. The Bucks, who sit in second place in the East, are currently 11 games behind Boston.

Although Celtics fans are eager for the postseason, the Green Team still has 13 more regular season contests. On Friday, Boston will kick off a six-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons at 7 P.M. (EST).