• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bucks put win streak to the test vs. Boston

Mar 22, 2012 - 2:35 PM (Sports Network) - Coming off their largest margin of victory of the season, the surging Milwaukee Bucks look to extend a season-high winning streak to seven games tonight versus the Boston Celtics at the Bradley Center.

Milwaukee blasted the Portland Trail Blazers, 116-87, on Tuesday in Rip City and posted a season-best 48 made field goals off 83 attempts (season-high 57.8 percent), going 11-of-21 from three-point range. Drew Gooden led six players in double figures with 19 points, while Carlos Delfino scored 16 points and Mike Dunleavy, Beno Udrih and Brandon Jennings netted 15 points apiece for the Bucks, who have won six straight and seven of eight games.

"We passed the ball well, we shot the ball well and played pretty good defense," said Bucks head coach Scott Skiles. "Our only issue was rebounding, but we were able to build a big enough lead, pull away and really take control."

Monta Ellis had 14 points and nine assists for Milwaukee, which is aiming for its first seven-game win streak since ripping off eight in a row from Jan. 8-21, 2002. The Bucks are back at home where they sport an 11-9 mark and sit just a game behind New York for the final postseason spot in the East.

Dunleavy is averaging 19.8 points and 4.7 assists off the bench over his last six games, while Gooden has posted averages of 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 12 games since he returned to the lineup because of injury. Milwaukee is 17-4 this season when reaching the 100-point mark and has hit the century point in each of the last seven games (6-1). The Bucks are 9-0 in 2011-12 when making 10 or more three-pointers.

The Celtics will continue their eight-game road trip Thursday and improved to 3-3 on the trek with Monday's 79-76 triumph at Atlanta.

Ray Allen buried 4-of-6 three-pointers for 19 points and Kevin Garnett added 16 and eight rebounds, as Boston improved its road mark to 8-13 and sits one game behind Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division lead. Paul Pierce posted 10 points and Rajon Rondo finished with 10, 13 assists and six steals.

"Neither team could really get anything going," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said after his team halted a two-game slide. "Either our defenses were sensational or our offenses were not. It was one of the two."

Boston is seventh in the Eastern Conference standings and will wrap up the lengthy road trip Friday against the Sixers. Garnett is one game away from tying Hakeem Olajuwon (1,238) for 21st on the NBA's all-time regular season games played list.

The Celtics defeated Milwaukee, 102-96, in the first meeting back on Feb. 29 and have won four straight and 12 of the last 15 matchups between the teams.