Paul Pierce finishes with 23 points, headlining five Celtics in double figures. Kevin Garnett adds a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Brandon Jennings turns in a beautiful all-around performance — 23 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block — but he runs out of fuel in the fourth quarter. The C's get the win.
They return home for a couple days of practice, then take on the L.A. Clippers at home Wednesday night at the TD Garden.
Fourth quarter, 19.1 seconds, Celtics 86-83: Kevin Garnett makes the block of the night.
The C's are on the verge of finishing this thing.
Fourth quarter, 38.5 seconds, Celtics 86-82: Beautiful move by KG to get position on the block against Jon Brockman. That bucket puts the Celtics in a commanding position to win this ballgame.
It's just another one of those nights. The Celtics play mediocre for 45 minutes and finish the deal in the final three.
A win's a win, right?
Fourth quarter, 1:23, Celtics 84-82: It's a game of millimeters, not inches. Carlos Delfino's 3-point attempt misses the rim, and that looks like a shot clock violation rather than an offensive rebound and a putback by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
The officials will review the call, but it looks unlikely to change. Solid D by the Celtics to hold Delfino to a deep 3 in the final seconds of the possession. They're now a bucket and a stop away from being able to breathe easy.
Fourth quarter, 2:52, 82-82: Doc Rivers has leaned on his starters for heavy minutes tonight. Jeff Green's the only guy to come off the bench for more than 14.
The Celtics' starters may be tired, but they need to work hard for three more minutes if they want to leave Milwaukee for a win.
They need solid team D and smart shots on the offensive end. Is that too much to ask? We'll see.
Fourth quarter, 3:37, 82-82: What's more impressive, the fact that Carlos Delfino just took that shot or the fact that he made it?
The Bucks' guard hits a ridiculous 3 from the top of the key. Just like that, we're all tied up again.
Fourth quarter, 4:41, Celtics 82-77: The Celtics know better than anyone not to leave Jeff Green open for 3 in the fourth quarter of a close game. He used to kill them with the Thunder.
The Bucks haven't learned that lesson yet, apparently.
Green drains one. The Celtics are up five.
Fourth quarter, 6:40, Celtics 77-74: Rajon Rondo drives to the hoop for a crucial two. The Celtics' offense isn't running very well, but they'll take every fast-break point they can get.
If the C's can't win this game with execution, maybe they can try to win it with quickness and athleticism. That's on Rondo.
Fourth quarter, 8:59, Celtics 72-68: Sasha Pavlovic and John Salmons trade 3s to open the fourth quarter. The C's remain ahead by four.
Credit is due to Sasha, who hits his first field goal in a Celtics uniform a lot quicker than Troy Murphy. Murph's currently 0-for-9 and counting.
Can either one of them be a difference-maker in this fourth quarter? We shall see.
End of third quarter, Celtics 69-65: The Celtics are hoping to win a grinding defensive struggle of a ballgame. We haven't seen one quite like this in a while.
Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with 20 points; Brandon Jennings matches him with 20 for the Bucks. Both guys could use a little more punch from their supporting casts.
The C's are 12 minutes away from gutting out their fifth straight win.
Third quarter, 2:43, Celtics 62-60: Doc Rivers pulls Rajon Rondo out for a quick breather, sending Avery Bradley back in. Rondo has played 24 minutes; Bradley, four.
The C's need to develop Bradley more by giving him more minutes. But it's hard to do that late in a close game, when you're not sure if you can trust the kid. Double-edged sword.
Third quarter, 4:16, Celtics 62-58: The defense collapses on Paul Pierce, so Pierce dumps it to Nenad Krstic for an easy bucket inside. Krstic now has 17.
The Bucks' defense is so focused on stopping Pierce and Ray Allen that Krstic is wide open every time. The Celtics are smart, and they're exploiting that.
Third quarter, 6:21, Celtics 59-58: Paul Pierce with authority. That's a huge dunk and a huge 5-0 swing to put the Celtics back in front.
Pierce now has 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. So efficient — and so necessary. His teammates are pretty much sleepwalking.
Third quarter, 7:00, Bucks 58-54: The C's tie the game, but the Bucks quickly begin to pull away again. A Kevin Garnett turnover leads to a fast break and a bucket for Brandon Jennings. We're right back to a four-point game.
The Celtics are making too many execution mistakes. They need to tighten things up again — no more turnovers, no more rushed shots, no more unfocused possessions defensively.
They'll have to work for this one.
Third quarter, 8:02, Bucks 54-52: Paul Pierce and Carlos Delfino collide in transition, and Pierce gets the call. That's four fouls on Delfino.
It's encouraging to see the C's playing a physical, smashmouth game against Milwaukee. They might have some injury concerns, but the Bucks' are even worse. They should up the tempo and play tough.
Third quarter, 10:20, Bucks 49-47: Paul Pierce scores to open the half, and then Nenad Krstic gets two free throws and makes them. The C's pick up right where they left off, cutting the lead to two.
But they need someone else to produce besides their two scorers. For instance, where's Ray Allen? He's only got two points.
The C's need to mix it up a little. They're still looking pretty flat.
Halftime, Bucks 49-43: The Celtics are looking like a team that's tired, beaten down and demoralized. They need to pick it up.
Paul Pierce finishes the first half with 13 points and Nenad Krstic adds 12, but the rotation isn't deep enough, and the guys who are playing aren't sharp enough. This has been a really sub-par effort.
Brandon Jennings leads all scorers with 14. He's knocking down shots from all over the place. That kid has range.
Second quarter, 1:27, Bucks 46-43: Kevin Garnett knocks down a smooth jumper from the top of the key. He's got eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
He could still stand to be a little more aggressive, though. Six shots isn't much. It's tantalizing to see KG be so efficient and yet so passive.
Second quarter, 4:16, Bucks 41-35: The C's offense finally wakes up, with layups on back-to-back possessions from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. That's four points in the first seven minutes of the quarter, then four more in about 15 minutes.
The C's still have plenty of work to do. This has been a really flat quarter.
Second quarter, 5:59, Bucks 38-31: It's still a 12-4 Milwaukee run to open the quarter. The Celtics need to start moving the ball and getting some good shots.
This team looks like it's really worn down after playing weeks with a short rotation. They could really use a little more punch from their bench guys to take some of the burden off the starters.
Second quarter, 7:04, Bucks 38-31: Ray Allen passes up an open jumper to get Kevin Garnett an easy look down low. Nice unselfish play.
Doc was beginning to get impatient with his second unit — those guys just couldn't score together. Now that he's sending the starters back in there, the C's can try to put a run together.
Second quarter, 8:48, Bucks 33-27: The Bucks open the second quarter on an 8-0 run. Troy Murphy has still yet to score his first point in a Celtics uniform — he's in his third game, and he's currently a combined 0-for-8 shooting.
He might get on the board in a moment. The big man just drew a foul, so he'll be shooting two after the timeout.
End of first quarter, Celtics 27-26: The Celtics have closed the second quarter on a 17-6 run, led by 12 points from — guess who? Nenad Krstic.
Doc Rivers has shown a little willingness to use his bench early on — Jeff Green, Troy Murphy and Avery Bradley have all seen a few minutes. But for the most part, he's leaning on the starters, and it's paid off.
Still no sign of Sasha Pavlovic, who's sitting on the bench waiting his turn.
First quarter, 2:50, Bucks 20-18: The Celtics' run reaches 8-0. Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green did plenty of scoring together in OKC, and they're picking up here where they left off.
You have to love Green's flexibility — he plays beautifully with the starters and with the second unit. He adapts quickly to his surroundings and gets the job done. He'll accept any role.
If the C's can maintain their defensive effort, they'll retake this lead any minute now.
First quarter, 5:09, Bucks 20-10: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has hopped off the bench for a quick eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. It's coming easy for him.
Paul Pierce needs to put a body on him and take his shot away. Passive defense like this is not Celtic basketball.
First quarter, 6:46, Bucks 14-8: Points in the paint have been easy to come by, for both teams. Everyone from Paul Pierce to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is driving the lane and getting lauyups with ease.
It's up to the big men in the middle to change that. Nenad Krstic has looked a little sluggish for Boston; same with Milwaukee's Jon Brockman.
The Bucks are shooting the lights out from all over the floor. The C's need to make them work harder.
First quarter, 8:59, Bucks 10-4: Brandon Jennings nails a 3, and that's a 10-2 Milwaukee run for a nice early lead.
The C's are executing well, but their shots just aren't falling. Meanwhile the Bucks just can't miss.
Still plenty of game to go, folks.
First quarter, 11:42, Celtics 2-0: Kevin Garnett is attacking the rim early. That's good to see.
Doc Rivers tells KG that against teams with depleted front lines, he should be taking 20 shots a night. Considering their injuries, the Bucks are definitely one of those teams.
One down, 19 to go for KG.
8:15 p.m.: The Celtics already knew they'd be without Shaquille O'Neal on Sunday night when they took on the Bucks. But the scary question is just how long Shaq will be out after this one.
Doc Rivers talked to his training staff, and the word on the now-39-year-old big man wasn't encouraging — the coach was told "don't expect him anytime soon," according to CSNNE.
Nenad Krstic and Troy Murphy were brought in as insurance policies. Now they're the real thing. And that might be the case for a good long while.
4:30 p.m.: After a 24-hour cycle of rumors and speculation, Carlos Arroyo is now officially a Celtic. The new backup point guard won't be in Milwaukee tonight, however — it's more likely we'll get our first look Wednesday, when the C's host the Clippers back in Boston.
With Von Wafer hurting and Delonte West still out of commission too, it's a near certainty we'll see Sasha Pavlovic in large doses tonight. He and Avery Bradley are the only healthy bodies Doc Rivers has available at the backup guard positions.
Arroyo was brought in as injury insurance, and that's exactly what the Celtics need right now.
8 a.m: Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy and Sasha Pavlovic may be only just beginning to find their way around Boston and learn the Celtic way. But they've already got one feather in their caps — they're all undefeated as Celtics.
The C's are a perfect 4-0 since the massive realignment they undertook at the trading deadline a week ago Thursday. They won the final two games of their West Coast road trip last week, and then returned home to win two more. Most recently, they beat the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, 107-103, behind a balanced team effort. They got 27 points from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but they also saw a nice breakout performance from Green off the bench. Everyone did their part.
The Celtics will look to keep their winning ways going against the Milwaukee Bucks. That won't be easy, especially given the C's current state of affairs.
They were already missing two centers named O'Neal before this week, but things have gotten worse in the last few days. They're now without Delonte West (sprained ankle), Glen Davis (sore knee), and Von Wafer as well (a strained calf muscle suffered Friday against the Warriors).
It's not easy to keep winning when this banged up. But the Bucks have had troubles of their own — Andrew Bogut, Ersan Ilyasova and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are all among the Milwaukee rotation guys currently ailing.
These two teams will be fighting both for a big Eastern Conference win, and for their own survival. Tipoff from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee is slated for 9 p.m.
