Thomas leads Celtics to 99-83 win over Bucks
Boston Celtics’ Amir Johnson, left, defends Milwaukee Bucks’ Tyler Ennis during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, in Milwaukee. AP
MILWAUKEE — Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 99-83 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
David Lee and Evan Turner each added 13 points, and Jared Sullinger finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.
Boston’s Avery Bradley sat out the second half with a bruised lower left leg. The starting guard was 1 of 6 from the floor for two points.
The Celtics scored 18 of the final 20 points in the third quarter to win consecutive games after losing three in a row.
Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak ended despite 17 points and 14 rebounds from Greg Monroe. He already reached a double-double in the opening half (14 points, 11 rebounds) and had 10 points with five rebounds in the first 5 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 16 points for the Bucks.
A 16-0 run late in the third quarter was the difference.
Boston made all six shots during the stretch of nearly three minutes and Milwaukee turned the ball over four times, missed both shots and clanked two free throws.
Boston held a 58-57 lead with 4:17 remaining when it got back-to-back 3-pointers from Jonas Jerebko and Jae Crowder. The run was capped when Antetokounmpo’s bad pass was intercepted by Turner, who broke free for a dunk and a 74-57 lead with 1:12 to go.
The closest Milwaukee would get was 82-71 after a layup by Jabari Parker with 8:25 left in the fourth.
