MILWAUKEE - The battles of attrition are piling up a little earlier now.
After eight games in 12 nights, the Celtics look a step slow and prone to fouls. Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Kendrick Perkins unwillingly hit the pine last night. Three double-technical fouls were called, sending the Bucks' Andrew Bogut to the locker room for good with two behavioral demerits in the fourth.
Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo smashed heads before hitting the floor. A heavy price was being paid last night before there was ever a final score. But this much remained strong - Ray Allen's free-throw shooting. The Celtics guard hit four, followed by two more from Paul Pierce, in the last 25 seconds of last night's 102-97 win over the Bucks in their first overtime game of the season.
The Celtics finished that perilous 12-day stretch with a 7-1 record, last night thanks to 28 points from Pierce and another 27 from Allen. Both sides opened overtime playing hot potato, with the game going through - scoreless possessions - including two three-second violations by the Celtics - until Kevin Garnett hard-fouled Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, resulting in two free throws for a 95-93 lead.
But Garnett rebounded an Allen miss and fed Pierce up top for a 3-pointer and 96-95 lead.
Garnett fouled out 24 seconds later after clipping Luke Ridnour along the left sideline, and Brian Scalabrine, with his first serious time of the season, took Garnett's place on the floor. Allen tied up Ramon Sessions and won the tip, but Pierce committed an offensive foul while setting a pick for Allen.
Then came the ugly part - Pierce and Allen knocked heads and hit the floor while attempting to chase the dunking Dan Gadzuric, who gave the Bucks a 97-96 lead with 1:07 left. Both returned to the floor, however, and Pierce missed a layup. Rondo poked the ball from Ridnour, and with 24.9 seconds left Ray Allen took back the lead (98-97) with two free throws.
Jefferson missed a 15-footer with 11.9 seconds left, and Allen scooped the rebound and drew the foul while driving the floor. He hit both for a 100-97 lead with 10.9 seconds left. Gadzuric missed an off-balance 10-footer, and with 3.6 seconds left. The Bucks had taken their first lead of the second half (89-88) when Pierce hit two free throws. Powe, carrying five fouls, snatched the tough rebound off a Mbah a Moute miss in traffic, and Pierce buried a 3-point dagger with 2:09 left for a 93-89 lead. Richard Jefferson cut the score to a basket (93-91) on a short jumper.
Two straight Allen misses - the second from 3-point range - left that four-point margin hanging as the Bucks called timeout with 45.7 seconds left. But when Jefferson was called for throwing an elbow into Pierce while attempting a shot, the C's carved out a little space.
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