Toine Scores 23, as C's Get Crushed

Antoine Walker's First Year in Green

MILWAUKEE - The Celtics have been paying particular attention to matters of defense this season, seeking to improve on the second-worst-in-the-NBA 107 points a game they allowed last season.

So, voila, last night they held the Bucks to 96. Through three quarters, that is.

When it was over, Milwaukee, with former Celtic coach Chris Ford facing his old team for the first time, rolled past the C's, 124-102.

If the Celtics play the same way they did in the first half against the Bucks, nothing is beneath their grasp.

The C's were led by rookie Antoine Walker with 23 points and Todd Day with 21. Dino Radja, who missed the first game with a sprained right ankle, got the start at power forward.