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 The message was received, as the Celtics made 23 of 40 shots
after the break to seal a 102-86 victory Monday at the BMO Harris
Bradley Center.
"Milwaukee was really in the paint, and we're going to have to step
up and shoot it in to win," Stevens said. "There was no reason not
to let it fly, so the guys did and knocked down some shots."
Forward Jeff Green led the way, scoring 19 second-half points on
8-of-11 shooting. He finished 11-for-22 from the floor for 29
points.
The Celtics held a 60-58 lead through three quarters, but Green
scored the first two buckets of the fourth, and his 3-pointer with
8:06 left made it a 10-point game.
From there, the Celtics took off, leading by as many as 17, and they
cruised to their fourth victory in the past five games.
"I think we just tightened up a little bit defensively, got a few
key stops," said Boston center Kelly Olynyk, who finished with 14
points and 11 rebounds off the bench. "We pushed the ball in
transition, got some easy baskets. Jeff Green hit a bunch of
big-time shots for us down the stretch to stretch the lead.""
Green played a season-high 44 minutes. Over his past four games,
Green is shooting 45 percent from the field and is averaging 25
points per game.
"He hit shots today that were really good shots, and then he made
some tough ones late," Stevens said. "He got himself going by
getting to the basket and by shooting it off screens ... He missed
his first one of the third quarter and then really shot it well the
rest of the night."
Olynyk also finished with 11 rebounds, one of two Celtics to post a
double-double. Center Jared Sullinger had 13 points and 10 boards.
"If they can defend and rebound together at the end of that game,
it's great to have them in there because they can make so many
different basketball plays," Stevens said. "They can handle the
ball, they can do all kinds of things. It was good to see them both
with double-doubles. I was pleased with how those two young guys
played."
Boston (19-34) capitalized on 21 Milwaukee turnovers, turning them
into 32 points.
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The Bucks committed only three turnovers in the final quarter, but
after shooting just under 50 percent through the first three
periods, they went 2-for-10 to start the fourth and shot 31 percent
in the final quarter.
"That's the disappointing thing about a game like this," Bucks coach
Larry Drew said. "(The Celtics) played last night, but they seemed
to be playing with more energy than we did."
Point guard Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 22 points. He also had
five rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes of work.
"We went flat," Knight said. "Our energy went down, and they took
advantage of that."
Milwaukee forward John Henson made his third straight start and
finished with 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also blocked two
shots, both in the first quarter. Henson has at least one block in
each of his last 18 games, the longest active streak in the NBA.
The Bucks lost their third straight game and fell for the ninth time
in the past 11. Now a league-worst 9-42 on the season, they are
guaranteed a losing record for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
NOTES: After playing a season-high 37 minutes Sunday against the
Dallas Mavericks, Celtics PG Rajon Rando did not travel with the
team to Milwaukee. However, he could start playing the second game
of back-to-backs in the near future as he works his way back from
knee surgery, according to coach Brad Stevens. SG Avery Bradley was
also unavailable and will undergo an MRI on his sore right ankle
Tuesday. ... Bucks C Larry Sanders suffered a broken bone near his
eye will be out through All-Star break, according to coach Larry
Drew. Sanders played just four minutes Saturday before taking a
elbow from Houston Rockets G James Harden. Limited to just 23 games
this season due to injuries and illness, Sanders is averaging 7.7
points and 7.2 rebounds this season but averaged 13.3 points and
10.7 rebounds in four games before his latest injury.
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