The Big Ticket drained 25 points and shot 69 percent from the floor to pace the C's attack in their 98-89 win over the Bucks at the Garden. Although they led the Bucks by just one point at the half, the surging C's traded blows in the third quarter before finally stopping the visitors dead in their tracks in the fourth quarter, holding Milwaukee to just 18 points in the final frame.
Celtics 98, Bucks 89
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Dec. 8, 2009
Headliner: Kevin Garnett led the C’s attack with 25 points as the Big Ticket was on fire from the floor connecting on 9 of 13 shots. KG also grabbed nine rebounds and was 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
Unsung Hero: Rasheed Wallace came off the bench to chip in 13 points and was 3-for-4 from behind the arc while Rajon Rondo added 11 points, nine boards and a game-high 13 assists and five steals.
The Celtics bench, playing without an injured Marquis Daniels, outscored the Bucks reserves 19-9.
Scrub: For any hoops fan suggesting that Brandon Jennings had more game than Rondo, the Bucks guard didn’t do much on Tuesday night to back up their argument. Rondo clearly won this head-to-head battle between the point guards. Jennings, who averaged more than 21 points per game entering the contest, was 7-for-19 from the floor (including 0-for-4 from 3-point land) and finished with just 17 points and four assists to go with four turnovers.
Turning Point: After the Bucks knotted things up at 71 just before the end of the third, the C’s went on a 10-4 run highlighted by a pair of back-to-back Rasheed Wallace 3-pointers.
Up Next: The C’s hit the friendly skies for a three-game road trip starting Thursday when they take on the Wizards in the nation’s capital. Boston then travels to Chicago for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the Bulls before wrapping up the tour in Memphis on Monday night.
Washington is 7-12 through their first six weeks of the season and have lost two straight including a 98-94 loss to the Pistons in Detroit on Sunday.
Gilbert Arenas leads the way for the Wiz with 20.4 points and 6.5 assists per game. Brendan Haywood is doing a solid job in a supporting role as he is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game and is shooting a team-best 50 percent from the floor.
