Celtics 102, Bucks 96
CELTICS 102, BUCKS 96: Kevin Garnett led all five starters in double figures with 24 points and 10 rebounds as host Boston pulled back to .500 and dealt a blow to Milwaukee’s playoff chances.
Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics (17-17), who have beaten the two teams chasing them for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference on back-to-back nights.
Boston led by 15 points with 2:56 left in the game when it pulled the starters and Milwaukee made things interesting. A 13-0 run cut it to a one possession game but Garnett came back into the contest and hit four free throws over the final 14.4 seconds to seal it.
The Bucks (14-21) remain in 10th place in the East.
The Celtics trailed at the half on Wednesday before taking over with 8:55 left in the third, when Brandon Bass’ three-point play kicked off a 25-6 run.
Chris Wilcox had the highlight of the burst with a driving dunk and Ray Allen got into the act with a behind-the-back dribble in the lane that shed the defense and led to a layup.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Milwaukee leading scorer Brandon Jennings did not score until the final burst at the end of the game and finished with six points on 2-for-11 shooting … Ersan Ilyasova led the Bucks with 25 points and 10 rebounds … Boston, which ranks last in the NBA in rebounding, got the better of the boards on Wednesday, 52-49.