Bucks' 6-Game Win Streak Is Snapped By The Celtics

I bet nobody outside of Wisconsin knew that entering tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks had the longest current win streak in the NBA.

That is history now as the Boston Celtics (25-21, 9-13 road) went into the Bradley Center and beat the Bucks (21-25, 11-10 home) 100-91. The loss ended Milwaukee's six-game win streak while also improving Boston's road trip to 4-3.

The C's improved to 2-0 against the Bucks this season, they meet one more time-April 26 for the regular season finale-in Boston.

It was a true team win for the Celts as five guys scored in double figures not to mention some key contributions off the bench from Keyon Dooling (8 points) and Greg Stiemsma (6 points, 5 blocks, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists) in front of his hometown fans.

Paul Pierce had a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. Three Celtics had double-doubles: Kevin Garnett (16 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), Brandon Bass (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Rajon Rondo (10 points, 14 assists, 3 steals).

Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 19 points. Carlos Delfino had 16 points and eight rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova added 12 points and 14 rebounds. Monta Ellis had 13 points and seven assists while Mike Dunleavy scored 11 off the bench.

I included the picture up above since Ryan Hollins is the newest Celtic. Boston will be his fifth team in only seven seasons. Still, he's 7-feet-tall, he can run the floor and block shots. However, he can't rebound at all which doesn't really address one of Boston's biggest issues. He's expected to be in uniform tomorrow night in Philadelphia as the Celtics wrap up their insane eight-game trip against the 76ers.

Philadelphia is only a half game ahead of Boston while the Celts have a game in hand. If the C's can win tomorrow, not only does it make the trip very successful (5-3) but it vaults them from No. 7 in the Eastern Conference to No. 4 since they would lead the Atlantic Division.

The two teams have only met once so far this season, a 103-71 shellacking handed out by the Sixers on March 7 at the Wells Fargo Center. The C's have to be completely exhausted but with only one more game against the Sixers after tomorrow, this will be one of the most important contests of the regular season.

UPDATE 3/23: The Celtics waived Chris Wilcox to make room for Hollins, who will likely make his debut tonight for the Green in Philadelphia.

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Pierce reaches elite company in Celtics history

In overtime last night, Paul Pierce joined John Havlicek and Larry Bird as the only Celtics players to reach 20,000 points in their career with just Boston.

It's been a remarkable turnaround for Pierce personally and professionally and save for the occasional wheelchair drama, he's a steady leader that truly loves to play here and appreciates being with one storied franchise for his whole career.

The Celtics (4-1) beat the Bucks (1-4) 105-102 at the TD Garden. It marks the first time this season that Boston has won on back to back nights, something that will be talked about often until they prove it is real or not.

Pierce had a game-high 28 points, Ray Allen scored 23, Rajon Rondo nearly had another triple double (17 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett had 13 points and eight rebounds. Glen Davis continued to be the guy off the bench, scoring 14 points and coming up with several great hustle plays.

Despite its poor start, the Bucks are a team to watch this season, particularly if Andrew Bogut (21 points, 13 rebounds) stays healthy. They have a bunch of players not really known around the NBA but they can play.

Carlos Delfino had 15 points, Ersan Ilyasova scored 15 off the bench, Brandon Jennings added 13 points while Corey Maggette (11) and Keyon Dooling (10) were in double figures.

Like almost every NBA game, this one was back and forth. The Celts led 25-16 after one quarter but their old legs showed up in the second quarter (31-22 Milwaukee). It was a gross third quarter (16-15) but Boston seemed to take control in crunch time. They were up six with under two minutes left but the Bucks kept hitting shots and making free throws, hence overtime.

Former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau returns to Boston tomorrow night with his new team, the Chicago Bulls. This rivalry developed two seasons ago with the epic first round playoff series and it will continue as long as Rondo and Derrick Rose are on these respective teams. Should be a good one and I'm happy to say, I'll be in the building.