Bucks-Celtics Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Apr 26 2012 12:37PM

With the playoffs about to start, the Boston Celtics still expect to take a business-like approach to their final regular season game.

The Celtics should have some of their ailing stars back in the lineup as they try for a sixth consecutive victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

With Ray Allen (ankle), Kevin Garnett (hip) and Rajon Rondo (back) all watching, Boston (38-27) posted an ugly 78-66 win Tuesday over a Miami club minus stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Sasha Pavlovic scored a season-high 16 points as the Celtics overcame a 28-point first half and forced 25 turnovers to prevail.

"Well, someone had to win the game and we did, which was really nice," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "You know, these games are still important."

Having already secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Atlantic Division, Boston can earn home-court advantage in the first round against Atlanta if it beats Milwaukee and the Hawks lose to Dallas on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Hawks have a one-game lead over Boston, but the Celtics own the tiebreaker between the teams.

"It would be nice to put some more pressure and force Atlanta to have to win," Rivers said.

Though Rivers will play to win Thursday, he will not sacrifice the health of his players for an extra first-round home game. Despite a 15-18 road record, Rivers has confidence in his team away from TD Garden.

"I'm taking rest and rhythm over home court," Rivers told the Celtics' official website.

Paul Pierce, who logged just 18 minutes in the victory over the Heat, isn't arguing with his coach's logic.

"We're definitely a better home team than we are a road team, but at this point we feel like if we're healthy we have a chance in anybody's building."

Rivers said that Rondo and Garnett are expected to be in the lineup Thursday.

Rondo recorded double-digit assists in 23 straight games before missing the last three contests. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 102-96 home win over Milwaukee on Feb. 29.

Garnett, who missed three of the last five games, has totaled 41 points and 20 rebounds in two against the Bucks this season.

Milwaukee (31-34), which will fall short of the playoffs for the second straight season, looks to avoid a fourth consecutive road defeat to the Celtics.

The Bucks hope to bounce back from a 90-85 home loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday. Brandon Jennings had 19 points and rookie Tobias Harris added 15 with 13 rebounds as the Bucks fell despite holding the 76ers to 35.6 percent shooting.

Injuries have plagued the Bucks again this season. They dressed nine players Wednesday and could again be without key players Monta Ellis (hand), Carlos Delfino (groin) and Ersan Ilyasova (knee) in the finale.

Jennings, who played with a sore eye suffered in Monday's 92-86 win over Toronto, is averaging a career-high 19.2 points in his third season and 25.2 in the last five games.

"I just wanted to play because I just love the game," Jennings said. "It doesn't matter to me. I get up to play basketball. It's my job. I have to still be a professional and finish the season."

He's been held to 9.0 points per game on 35.0 percent shooting in Milwaukee's last four trips to Boston.

Pierce scores 12 as Celtics top Bucks 87-74

Posted Apr 26 2012 11:36PM

BOSTON (AP) As much as he wanted to keep playing in his return from a sore lower back, Rajon Rondo knew it was much more prudent to rest on the bench in the second half.

He had plenty of company as the Boston Celtics closed the regular season with an 87-74 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

Rondo finished with 15 assists despite not playing the fourth quarter and Paul Pierce scored all 12 of his points in the first half, even though he missed most of it with a sprained toe.

"I wanted to play a little bit more, but it was smart for me to sit in the second half," said Rondo, who had missed three straight games. "I just wanted to share the ball, get my teammates moving and get them in a rhythm. I also wanted to get myself in a rhythm. I didn't want to turn the ball over tonight and I think I did a pretty good job."

The Celtics will open the playoffs Sunday at Atlanta, which clinched home-court advantage with a win over Dallas. Had the Hawks lost, they would instead be coming to Boston for the series opener.

"Well, there's nothing we could do about it," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "They won and so we're going to Atlanta."

With the Celtics' fate largely in the hands of the Hawks, Boston used its returning starters sparingly after pulling ahead by as much as 21 in the first half. The only starter missing was Ray Allen, who has been out the last two weeks with a sore right ankle.

Kevin Garnett sat out the last two games to rest an injured hip flexor. He played 11:04 against the Bucks, all in the first half, and had four points, two rebounds and three assists. Mickael Pietrus returned after missing four games with a sore right knee and scored nine points.

Tobias Harris led Milwaukee with 17 points. Jon Leuer added 15 points and Brandon Jennings 12 for the Bucks, who were 28-28 on April 7 but never could return to .500, finishing the season at 31-35 with two straight losses.

The Bucks had 23 turnovers on Thursday.

"They played tight defense that we have played in the past. We haven't played it this year," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "They took us out of what we wanted to run. We had to start over dribbling a little bit and just had great difficulty with getting any baskets."

Rondo had 12 assists in the first half, extending his streak to 24 games with at least 10 assists. It's the longest streak in the NBA since John Stockton reached double-figure assists in 29 straight in 1992.

"He made it look pretty easy," Skiles said. "He plays at his pace even if you're doing a good job, it's hard to get out of his pace."

Boston's Ryan Hollins tied his career high with four blocks and scored nine points for Boston, which went up 2-0 on Pierce's layup 17 seconds in and never let go of the lead.

Pierce scored the first five points of the game and had a dozen in the first half despite playing just 6:41. He left early in the first quarter with a sprained left big toe and the Celtics said he was unlikely to return. He returned for the end of the second quarter and scored five as Boston took a 60-42 lead into halftime.

Hollins scored seven points as Boston opened the second period on a 13-2 run and held Milwaukee without a field goal for the first 3:52.

Keyon Dooling started the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Hollis followed with a dunk, a three-point play after dunking an offensive rebound, and an 11-footer to put Boston up 31-20. E'Twaun Moore added a 3-pointer with 9:09 left in the period and Milwaukee called time out, down 34-20 after trailing by just three entering the quarter.

"Defensively they're a championship-caliber team and that's why they're a contender," Leuer said. "They have that emphasis on the defensive end and that's why it's hard to score on them."

Notes: Boston will host Games 3 and 4 against the Hawks next Friday and Sunday. ... Rondo is the first player since John Lucas to have 15 or more assists and not score a point since John Lucas did it for the Spurs on April 15, 1984 against Denver. ... Rondo averaged 11.7 assists and is the first Boston player to lead the league since Bob Cousy in 1959-60. ...The Celtics won nine of their last 12 after a two-game losing streak in early April. ... Boston C Greg Stiemsa missed his second straight game with a sore right foot. ... Carlos Delfino (groin) and Monta Ellis (right hand) did not travel with the Bucks for the regular-season finale. ... Bradley was the only Boston starter to score in the third quarter, finishing with eight points in the period.

Notebook: Celtics 87, Bucks 74

Posted Friday April 27, 2012 12:00AM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Avery Bradley had 14 points and Rajon Rondo tallied 15 assists helping the Boston Celtics cruise to a 87-74 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular season finale for both squads. Kevin Garnett and Mickael Pietrus also returned to action with Rondo, as the Celtics used a 39-point second quarter to build a double-digit lead against the shorthanded Bucks, and the hosts never looked back. Doc Rivers turned things over to his bench for the majority of the second half, as 12 of Boston's 13 players scored at least four points. Tobias Harris had a game-high 16 points for the Bucks who only had nine healthy players for the contest. Milwaukee finished the season by dropping seven of their final ten games.

QUOTABLE: "It's probably something I'll look back on and appreciate, but right now I'm trying to focus on the wins and get through the playoffs and try to win a championship."
-- Rondo on winning the NBA assist title

THE STAT: The Celtics shot 60 percent (15-of-25) during their 39-point second quarter, and just 32 percent (20-of-62) over the other three quarters combined.

TURNING POINT: Late season addition Ryan Hollins had seven points over a three-minute stretch, which sparked a 14-2 run by the Boston bench, enabling the Celts' to build a double-digit lead, a lead they did not relinquish for the final 35 minutes of the game.

QUOTABLE II: "They handled us pretty good obviously. They played tight defense that we have played in the past. We haven't played it this year. They took us out of what we wanted to run. That's championship-type defense."
-- Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles

HOT: Paul Pierce -- Despite aggravating his sprained left toe in the first quarter, Boston's captain was able to return and post an incredibly efficient first half, scoring 12 points in just six minutes of action, before resting the toe for the remainder of the evening.

NOT: Shaun Livingston -- With Monta Ellis sidelined, Livingston has struggled since being inserted into the starting lineup over the Bucks' final three games. He missed five of his six shots against the Celts' Wednesday and has shot just 20 percent from the field over his final three starts, averaging a mere two points a contest.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Rondo -- The All-Star looked sharp in his return to the floor after a three-game hiatus due to a back injury. Boston's floor general tallied 12 of his 15 assists in the first half to extend his streak of games with double-digit assists to 24. It's the longest double-digit assist streak for a NBA player since John Stockton in 1992.

ROOKIE WATCH: Harris -- The former Tennessee star finished the season on a high note for Milwaukee, posting team-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (9) over 35 minutes of action.

NOTABLE: Despite earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, Boston will open their first round matchup with Atlanta on the road, as the Hawks finished one game ahead of the Celtics in the standings after beating the Mavericks at Phillips Arena. Ray Allen (ankle) sat out his ninth consecutive game. Rivers called him "probable" for Game 1 of the Atlanta series before the game, but he could be limited by the right ankle soreness in the postseason, which has bothered him for months. Greg Stiemsma (foot) also sat out to rest his plantar fasciitis, but he will be ready to go for Game 1 against the Hawks. Hollins tied his career high with four blocks, and added nine points. Four regular members of Milwaukee's starting lineup did not suit up due to injury. Boston closed the season on a two-game winning streak and went 24-10 after the All-Star Break, the best mark in the league.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Sunday @ Atlanta, Tuesday @ Atlanta, Friday vs. Atlanta.

• Bucks: Brown, Mbah a Moute
• Celtics: Allen, Stiemsma

• Bucks: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #18 Matt Boland, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 1:53