Bucks 106, Celtics 102: A third-quarter lead holds up

During their four-game road trip out west, the Milwaukee Bucks were outscored by 49 points in the fourth quarter. They still eked out two wins, but that's not the kind of trend any team wants to continue.

Back home against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, the Bucks held the Celtics to 24% shooting in the third quarter to take an eight-point lead into the fourth. But the air of doubt hung over the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Would the Bucks be able to hold on this time?

The answer ultimately was yes as the Bucks earned a 106-102 victory to pull into a three-way tie with the Washington Wizards and Miami Heat at 42-36 with four games left in the regular season. The win also snapped a six-game win streak for Boston, which was playing without four of its guards — Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Marcus Smart (right thumb surgery), Terry Rozier (left ankle sprain) and Shane Larkin (illness).

BOX SCORE: Bucks 106, Celtics 102

While the Bucks took the victory, they sure did find a way to make things close.

“We did better," Bucks coach Joe Prunty said. "Now, there are still things that we can clean up. … Overall, it was positive in terms of things that took place. We learned from it, we grew from it. Things like time and score and getting a shot up. A lot of positive in that regard.”

The Celtics looked like they were about to pull within three with under a minute left when Jayson Tatum blocked a Khris Middleton three-pointer to ignite a break for Jaylen Brown. Giannis Antetokounmpo had other plans, though, and they hinged on Middleton's cooperation.

"I was yelling, I was like, ‘Khris, don’t foul! Don’t foul!’ " Antetokounmpo said. "Thank God he heard me and he didn’t foul.”

Because Middleton didn't foul, instead putting his hands up and letting Brown go by, Antetokounmpo was able to soar in from behind and pin Brown's layup attempt against the backboard. The play was originally ruled a goaltend, but upon review, it was clear Antetokounmpo's block had come in time — something he had known all along.

“I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid," Antetokounmpo said. "I really do not even think about it. Just try to chase the ball down. Sometimes it can be a goaltend, sometimes not. Thank God tonight it wasn’t.”

Boston again pulled within three on a Tatum dunk with 24.2 seconds left. That dunk came after Middleton stepped out of bounds shortly after receiving an inbound pass. On the ensuing inbound, the Bucks again got the ball to Middleton who was immediately trapped and called timeout.

With no timeouts left, the Bucks were able to get the ball inbound, with Middleton ultimately getting the ball to Antetokounmpo who was fouled and sealed the win with a pair of free throws.

“In Denver we turned the ball over, weren’t able to inbound the ball," Antetokounmpo said of Sunday's frustrating overtime loss. "The next day we worked on our plays, what we got to do to inbound the ball, who we’ve got to give the ball to. I think tonight we did a great job, a better job, than that game in Denver.”

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 29 points and 11 rebounds to go with six assists, two blocks and five turnovers. Middleton added 20 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals.

Eric Bledsoe continued his strong run of games, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He had nine of his points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch three-pointer with just under three minutes left and a much-needed layup with 36 seconds left. Both of Bledsoe's shots put the Bucks up seven.

"He's playing great," Middleton said. "What Me, Giannis, and him have been trying to do is turn it up a notch. We have to play great. We have to play at a high level. Jabari's (Parker) been playing well, too. For us to get further in the playoffs — to get to the playoffs first — to beat teams we want to beat and be the team we want to be, we have to play at a high level. And Bled at the head of the snake is starting that for us."

Milwaukee also got 12 points from Jabari Parker in 30 minutes. His time on the court coincided with some big Bucks runs with Antetokounmpo on the bench, especially in the second and third quarters. The Bucks went on 16-4 run in the second — with Parker scoring seven points — and 11-3 spurt in the third — with Parker scoring four points — both without Antetokounmpo.

“J.P.’s back, it’s (that) simple," Antetokounmpo said about the keys to those runs. "J.P.’s back and he’s doing a great job in the second group just facilitating, scoring the ball, rebounding the ball, just making the right plays."

With the win, the Bucks clinched their second successive winning season, matching last season's win total at 42. The last time Milwaukee finished with back-to-back winning campaigns was in 2000 and 2001.

“We’re better than last year," Antetokounmpo said. "Hopefully we can get four more and finish the season strong and finish the season better than last year.”

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

Rematch?: The Bucks split the four-game season series with the Celtics, also winning the first matchup on Oct. 18. The teams could meet again in the first round of the playoffs.

Boston is No. 2 in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Toronto Raptors while the Bucks are entangled in the race for the bottom three seeds.

Bucks center John Henson said he wouldn’t mind seeing Boston again.

"I think we match up well,” Henson said. “They're a tough team. They have some bodies out; they still have some guys out. But we'll be ready for them. I don't think Coach Stevens brought out all his stuff for us, knowing that we'll probably see them in a playoff matchup. “

Antetokounmpo is only worried about his own team.

“It doesn’t really matter who we’re going to see,” he said. “We’re just going to keep doing what we do, play hard and try to win.”

Cleared but still out: Center Thon Maker was available for Tuesday's game after missing the four-game road trip with a right groin strain. Healthy as he was, he did not take the court against the Celtics.

Juice is loose: During the second quarter, the Bucks drew the crowd's attention to the video board for a special video, which opened with the graphics celebrating the team's 50th season. What followed was a highlight package of a former player who was in attendance.

That former player was O.J. Mayo, who was sitting between Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry and senior vice president Alex Lasry courtside.

Mayo appeared in 164 games for the Bucks over three seasons from 2013-'16, averaging 10.6 points in 25.2 minutes per game. When he wasn't injured, Mayo was considered to be a well-liked teammate, but he didn't leave the team on the best terms.

Mayo fractured his right ankle in a home accident on March 10, 2016 and did not return to the team that season. Later that summer when Mayo was a free agent, he was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program. Mayo's two-year suspension is scheduled to end this summer.

This past summer, Mayo opened up to Sports Illustrated about his suspension and turning things around. In that piece, he said he felt he had cheated the Bucks during his three-year, $24 million contract and hoped for another chance.

"I felt like I let them down, cheated them for two years," Mayo told SI. "They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my (expletive), and when you’re not on top of your (expletive), it shows. I’ll be 30 next summer. If they just give me the chance, I can make it up. I owe them.”

UP NEXT

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (42-36) vs. Brooklyn Nets (25-53).

When: 7 p.m. Thursday.

Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center.

About the Nets: The Bucks have won 10 straight games in the series, including a 116-91 victory in Milwaukee on Jan. 26 and a 109-94 win on Feb. 4. Antetokounmpo had 41 points in the first matchup and Bledsoe led the way with 28 in the second. The Bucks acquired Tyler Zeller from the Nets on Feb. 5 in a deal for Rashad Vaughn and a future second-round pick.