Celtics-Bucks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Dec 01 2012 12:16PM

The Boston Celtics are missing Rajon Rondo for one more game, but Courtney Lee will try to soften the blow of that absence again.

Visiting the sputtering Milwaukee Bucks may also help.

With Lee expected to start at the point again, the Celtics attempt to continue their success against the Bucks by getting another win at the Bradley Center on Saturday night.

Rondo, the NBA's leader with 12.9 assists per game, will serve the second of his two-game suspension for shoving Brooklyn's Kris Humphries into the stands in retaliation for a hard foul on Kevin Garnett in Wednesday's 95-83 loss.

Boston (9-7) didn't seem to miss the All-Star guard Friday, when it never trailed in a 96-78 victory over Portland, winning for the third time in four tries.

"(Rondo's) our leader, so it's tough when he's not here," said forward Jeff Green, who had a season-high 19 points. "So everybody as a group has to pull together as a team and try and take his place."

Specifically, it'll be Lee who fills in for Rondo again. Acquired in a three-team trade from Houston over the summer to add depth, Lee had 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals against the Trail Blazers, finding extra motivation after coach Doc Rivers called his team "soft" following the defeat to the Nets.

"Nobody wants to be called soft," Lee said. "I took that personal because I know that I'm far from being soft and I think our team took it personal, too."

Lee averaged 16.3 points while making 8 of 16 shots from beyond the arc in his first four career visits to Milwaukee (7-7), but he missed all three field-goal attempts in 28 minutes off the bench in a 96-92 win Nov. 10.

The Celtics have won 15 of their last 19 games against the Bucks, including seven of nine at the Bradley Center.

Paul Pierce had 25 points and nine rebounds in the latest meeting after being held to 11 and six in a 99-88 home loss Nov. 2. He's spurred Boston's four-game winning streak in Milwaukee, averaging 24.3 points on 57.1 percent shooting - 7 for 12 from beyond the arc.

The Bucks have dropped five of six after opening the season 6-2, and their latest shooting performance was their worst of the season. They made just 36.6 percent of their attempts - 5 of 18 from beyond the arc - in Friday's 95-85 loss at Minnesota.

"I think as a unit it doesn't matter who takes the shots, we just have to keep playing through whatever," guard Brandon Jennings said. "You see a lot of heads go down when guys are missing shots, but it's still 48 minutes so you still have to play through the whole game no matter what's going on."

Jennings had 18 points in each of the last two games, but was 6 for 19 from the floor Friday. He connected on just 1 of 11 shots - 1 of 7 from long range - to finish with four points in the latest meeting with the Celtics, but he had a team-high 21 points with 13 assists at Boston on Nov. 2.

Monta Ellis, who matched Jennings' 18 points against the Timberwolves, has averaged 25.3 over his last six games against the Celtics, getting a season-high 32 on Nov. 10.

Larry Sanders is coming off his first triple-double after tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's franchise-record with 10 blocks while adding 10 points and 12 rebounds Friday.

Bucks rally for 91-88 victory over Celtics

Posted Dec 02 2012 12:37AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) Scott Skiles wanted to insert Larry Sanders into the Milwaukee Bucks' starting lineup for Saturday night's game against the Boston Celtics. The coach relented when the high-energy forward said he preferred a reserve role.

It sure looks as if Sanders knows what's best for him.

He had a career-high 18 points and 16 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots, and the Bucks rallied for a 91-88 victory after the Celtics scored the first 17 points of the game.

"I embrace that role, coming off the bench and trying to provide energy, whether we are down or whether we are up. That's where I plan on staying," Sanders said.

Sanders' performance impressed his coach.

"He was doing everything he does when he plays well," Skiles said. "He was blocking shots, he was running the floor, he was on the boards and got some baskets around the goal. He played really well."

Boston coach Doc Rivers also took notice.

"He was terrific. I thought he changed the game in a lot of ways with his effort," he said. "He blocked a lot of shots and he made a lot of shots, too."

Monta Ellis had 17 points and seven assists for the Bucks, while Ersan Ilyasova added 15 points and five rebounds. Brandon Jennings made a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

"The play wasn't for a 3," Jennings said. "The play was for me to come off a pick with Larry (Sanders). If I had an open lane, of course take it to the hole. But we just moved the ball around and we were able to get an open shot."

Jennings also had praise for Sanders, who had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in a loss to Minnesota on Friday.

"Larry Sanders is on his way to being player of the week if he keeps this up. I'm really excited for him," Jennings said.

Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 19 points, and Kevin Garnett added 17 points and seven rebounds.

"I thought both teams were going back and forth," Garnett said. "They made some shots and we made some shots. I thought Brandon Jennings' shot was possibly the biggest shot of the night."

Boston played without point guard Rajon Rondo, who served the second of his two-game suspension for his role in a scuffle during a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Courtney Lee, who started in Rondo's place, had 13 points, and Jason Terry finished with 15 points and 11 assists.

Jeff Green and Pierce hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Celtics an 88-85 lead with 1:44 left. Sanders then had a dunk and Jennings drained the crucial 3 to get the lead back for Milwaukee.

Another missed shot and a foul by Boston put Sanders at the line. He hit one of two free throws to make it 91-88 lead with 11 seconds remaining. Pierce and Terry missed 3-point attempts in the waning seconds as the Bucks held on for the win.

Boston was 6 for 19 from beyond the arc for the game, including a 2-for-9 performance by Terry, who shouldered the blame for leaving Jennings open for the late 3.

"Being a 14-year veteran, I can't make that crucial mistake on leaving Brandon Jennings," Terry said. "I told everyone that I'll put that one on my shoulders. That's the most frustrating thing about this loss. It hurts to be in that position and to not even make a shot or the defensive play, that's on me."

The Celtics opened the game with a 17-0 run. Milwaukee missed its first six shots from the field. The drought ended when Ilyasova sank a jump shot with about 6:30 remaining in the quarter. The Bucks' problems in the opening minutes included an air ball at the line by rookie forward John Henson.

"Our rhythm was great and then we started subbing and our rhythm gets upset," Rivers said. "We weren't going to keep the shutout. As some point you knew they were going to make a run and they did. At 17-0 they could have easily thrown in the towel. They made some big shots and we missed some."

Sanders stressed the importance of the victory for Milwaukee, which had lost five of six games.

"We've been kind of in a slump and searching," Sanders said. "Today, everyone fought and I'm glad we came out with this win."

Boston led 27-11 after one, but the Bucks rallied in the second quarter and trailed 48-47 at halftime. The teams were tied at 69 after three.

Skiles juggled his starting lineup, inserting Marquis Daniels and Ekpe Udoh. The Bucks also played without key reserves Beno Udrih and Mike Dunleavy, both of whom sustained injuries in Friday night's loss to Minnesota. Udrih is expected to miss one to two weeks with an ankle injury, and Dunleavy attempted to play against the Celtics but couldn't due to lingering knee soreness, according to Skiles.

NOTES: Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute appeared in his first game of the season after rehabilitating from offseason knee surgery. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 14 minutes. ... Jennings jumped over the scorers' table chasing a loose ball and nearly landed in the lap of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, who was sitting courtside.

Notebook: Bucks 91, Celtics 88

Rick Braun, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 02, 2012 12:50 AM - Updated Sun Dec 02, 2012 12:50 AM

THE FACTS: Larry Sanders had career-highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Brandon Jennings swished a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 91-88 victory over the Boston Celtics Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Sanders, a third-year center from Virginia Commonwealth, also added five blocked shots as he followed up his first career triple-double (10 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks) Friday night with another big performance.

Sanders went 1-for-2 on his free throws with 11.9 seconds left, giving the Celtics a chance to tie, but Paul Pierce and Jason Terry missed 3-pointers with hands in their faces.

Pierce led all scorers with 19 points, Kevin Garnett added 17 points and Terry had 15 points and 11 assists for the Celtics (9-8). Monta Ellis added 17 for the Bucks (8-7), who had lost five of their previous six games.

QUOTABLE: "My teammates did a great job of finding me today. I did a pretty good job of finishing around the basket and trying to stay around there."

-- Larry Sanders on his career offensive night

TURNING POINT: Jennings' 3-pointer turned an 88-87 deficit into a 90-88 lead, and when Sanders rebounded Terry's miss and was fouled with 11.9 seconds left, he made one of the two ensuing free throws. The Bucks then survived 3-point attempts by Pierce and Terry in the final seconds.

QUOTABLE II: "That was the 'lull them to sleep' strategy. It worked very well tonight."

-- Bucks coach Scott Skiles on his team falling behind 17-0

HOT: Sanders was 7-for-11 from the field and even went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. He entered as a 54.2 percent shooter from the line.

NOT: Ellis was just 6-for-20, and Jennings was just 4-for-11 before drilling the go-ahead 3-pointer to finish 5 of 12. They're Milwaukee's two leading scorers, but are shooting just 40.1 percent (Ellis) and 41.3 percent (Jennings), respectively.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Antonio Freeman, a wide receiver on the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl championship team of 1996, was in attendance.

GOOD MOVE: Skiles had defensive whiz Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at his disposal for the first time this season, and used him on Pierce and Terry in key possessions in the final seconds. Mbah a Moute and Marquis Daniels both guarded Terry and Pierce and switched any time the two tried to run a pick-and-roll together.

BAD MOVE: Skiles made two changes in his starting lineup, going with Daniels and Epke Udoh in place of Tobias Harris and Samuel Dalembert. Not that it was the fault of those two players, but the new starting lineup looked awful as the Bucks fell into a 17-0 hole.

ROOKIE WATCH: First-round pick John Henson started and had five points in 13:28 for the Bucks. Second-round pick Doron Lamb had two points and two assists in 15:24 and played some defense that helped the Bucks recover from their horrible start. Forward Jason Sullinger had two points and three blocks in 13:40 for the Celtics.

NOTABLE: Boston coach Doc Rivers was emotional after the game talking about the death of Rick Majerus, who was an assistant coach at Marquette when Rivers played there. "That's a tough one for me. He's the one that gave me my name," Rivers said. Majerus gave Rivers the nickname "Doc" at a youth camp before Rivers attended Marquette. "I knew before the game that he wasn't going to make it through the night. I don't want to talk much about it." Majerus coached Marquette from 1983-86 and then was a Bucks' assistant coach in the 1986-87 season before returning to the college ranks. Bucks assistant coach Jim Boylan also played at Marquette when Majerus was an assistant. ... The Celtics were playing their second straight game without Rajon Rondo, who was suspended for fighting.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Tuesday vs. Clippers, Wednesday @ Utah , Friday @ Denver . For the Bucks, Monday @ New Orleans, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday vs. Charlotte.

• Celtics: Melo
• Bucks: Dunleavy, Udrih

• Celtics: --
• Bucks: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #47 Bennie Adams, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 16581
• Duration: 2:10