The Boston Celtics visited the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday in what was a highly anticipated matchup. Despite high expectations for a hard-fought bout, the Celtics gave fans one of the worst first-half performances this year. Boston went into the locker room down 75-38, leading to head coach Joe Mazulla sitting the Celtics' starters in the second half. Brown spoke on Mazulla's decision, backing his head coach.

“We just came out – we couldn't match their energy. They were well-rested, we were a little beat up, and we came out looking like.. Joe made the call, and you can't really disagree with it when you're down 30+ points,” Noa Dalzell at SB Nation.

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Mazulla and the Celtics are playing the long game in the regular season. They have a comfortable lead in the standings with a 30-9 record. Milwaukee stands behind them at No. 2 in the East with a 27-12 record. The Celtics played the matchup against the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back, following a win in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Brown spoke on the players' fatigue being an issue, which can be highlighted even more when Boston is tasked with erasing a 30-point deficit.

Both teams are passing this game by like it never happened. For the Celtics, they're going to throw out the film and move on, and for the Bucks, they're going to enjoy the victory that's not the Boston team they'll have to face later in the season. These are the two top teams in the East, so there's a chance a series rematch could occur in the postseason.