Villanueva scores 19 as Bucks beat Celtics, 86-77

MILWAUKEE(AP) The Milwaukee Bucks played defense Sunday the way their coach preaches it.Charlie
Villanueva scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the
Bucks used their defense to hold off the Boston Celtics 86-77."I
felt it was one of our better defensive games,'' Milwaukee coach Scott
Skiles said. "It's not too often when you shoot a little over 30
percent for the game and still win the game.''The Bucks shot
32.6 percent, scored 27 points off the Celtics' season-high 25
turnovers and grabbed 14 of their 21 offensive rebounds in the second
half. Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Luc Mbah a Moute added 15
points and seven rebounds."I thought we played hard from
beginning to end on the defensive end,'' Skiles said. "We were locked
in and really moving our feet on the defensive end of the floor.''The
Bucks hounded Boston's two leading scorers into dismal performances.
Paul Pierce, averaging 20 points, had 15 on 4-for-15 shooting. Ray
Allen, averaging 18.6, scored eight while going 2-for-11. Even Rajon
Rondo felt the Bucks' pressure as he finished with five on 2-for-10
from the floor, off his average of 11.5.Kendrick Perkins scored
a career-high 26 points with 12 rebounds, including a career-best nine
offensive. But he couldn't carry the team as Milwaukee denied the
defending champions a chance to clinch their second straight Atlantic
Division crown."With 25 turnovers, we gave up 21 offensive
rebounds, we held them to 32 percent shooting and we lost the game,''
Perkins said. "We just can't win like that.''Boston coach Doc Rivers agreed with Perkins' assessment."When
you give a team 21 offensive rebounds and you turn the ball over 25
times, the fact that we had a chance to win this game is a miracle in
some ways,'' he said. "I thought Milwaukee played harder.''Boston trails Cleveland by 3 1/2 games for the best record in the Eastern Conference.The play of the game came down the stretch as the Bucks clung to a four-point lead.With
Milwaukee ahead 81-77, Eddie House missed for the Celtics. Luke Ridnour
dribbled the clock down on the ensuing possession and lost the ball,
but it rolled to Charlie Bell, who threw in a desperation 3-pointer
with 48 seconds left to seal the victory."That shot was kind of
like a prayer,'' Bell said. "Rondo made a great defensive effort to get
a steal, but we finally got a ball to bounce in our direction. All
throughout the season, we've lost a lot of games with the ball bouncing
the other way and the other team getting a break. We finally got a
break tonight.''Ridnour, who had 11 points and five assists, added two free throws for Milwaukee's final points.The
Celtics trailed 80-69 late in the fourth before Perkins pulled them
back into the game. He converted a three-point play, and after Pierce
made a free throw, Perkins sank two and added a dunk to make it 80-77
with 3 minutes left.A sloppy first-half struggle ended tied at 41, but the third belonged to Milwaukee.Villanueva's
basket put the Bucks ahead 43-41 and Milwaukee maintained a slim lead
through most of the third, capitalizing on the Celtics' 10 turnovers.
Boston led just once at 61-60 on Rondo's fast-break layup, but Ridnour
answered with a jump shot for the Bucks, who then stayed ahead the rest
of the way.Already without All-Star forward Kevin Garnett and
reserves Glen Davis, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine, Boston had to
play most of the second half without Leon Powe after he fouled out with
5:04 left in the third. He scored just five points and grabbed six
rebounds, far off his career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds in Friday
night's 102-92 win over Memphis.After the Bucks took a 54-49
lead midway through the third, Rivers called a timeout and chewed out
his players, but it didn't work.Milwaukee had lost five of six and nine of 12 as it fights for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.A scary moment for the already injury-plagued Celtics came late in the second quarter.Pierce
had the ball at the top of the key setting up a play. Ridnour swiped at
the ball, catching Pierce on the right side of his face. The Bucks
scored after the steal while Pierce stayed on the Celtics' end covering
his right eye. He dabbed at the eye with a towel, blinked several times
and remained in the game.Notes: After the game, House sat with
his left ankle heavily bandaged. He said he rolled his ankle late in
the game. ... Rivers said that Garnett, who has missed 11 games, wants
back so bad that "if there was a treadmill Olympics, he'd be leading
the pack right now.'' Rivers added that the chances for Garnett and
Davis to play Friday at San Antonio were above 50 percent. ... Boston
slipped to 6-5 in the last 11 games without Garnett (sprained right
knee). ... Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ends Ruvell
Martin and James Jones followed the action from sideline seats. ... The
25 turnovers tied for the most by a Bucks opponent this season. The
Celtics hadn't had that many since last April when they lost it 26
times against the Bucks in April.