The Bucks didn’t score over the final 2:42, but the Celtics could only manage two baskets in that span and allowed Milwaukee to drain the clock with two critical offensive rebounds. The Bucks smartly fouled Pierce with 3.9 seconds left because they had a foul to give, limiting Doc Rivers’s play calling.
Pierce caught a pass from Rajon Rondo, dribbled to the right, and fired an elbow jumper that missed, ruining what would have been another impressive rally. But it should not have come to that point.
“We have to do a better job of buckling down in the fourth quarter with the team up 4 or 6 and try to put them away,’’ said Pierce, who did not score in the fourth quarter. “This was a possession by possession game when it came down to it. They made the necessary stops and necessary plays they needed down the stretch.’’
Brandon Jennings danced into the key and finished with a pretty finger roll for an 86-79 lead with less than three minutes left, completing a stunning four-minute run by the Bucks.
Staggered, the Celtics responded with a Rondo 3-point play and then got a stop. But Ersan Ilyasova beat Kevin Garnett to a missed Jennings jumper, and the Bucks squeezed nearly 45 seconds off the clock without scoring. Kendrick Perkins then committed an illegal pick with seven seconds left on the 24-second clock, wasting another chance for the Celtics to rally.
Following another defensive stop, Garnett dropped a 20-footer with 53.2 seconds left to bring the Celtics within 86-84, but Andrew Bogut tipped a miss to Jennings for another offensive rebound, and the Celtics didn’t get the ball back until nine seconds remained.
It was a difficult game for the Celtics to digest because Milwaukee did barely enough to win. Pierce missed all four of his shots in the final period, while Ray Allen finished with zero field goals and just 3 points.
“The only thing I told my guys I was disappointed in was that we went through a game with Ray Allen and he only got three shots,’’ Rivers said. “I thought all of the little plays were going to be the difference in the game, loose balls and offensive rebounds. I thought they won that battle.’’
