NEW YORK — Talk about a backdoor cut.

The announcement Thursday that negotiations to end the NBA lockout would resume was followed by news that some players are investigating the possibility of decertifying the union.

The NBA players union said it would begin negotiating with the owners again on Saturday, maintaining that the players are unified as they seek to end the lockout.

Union president Derek Fisher, executive director Billy Hunter and executive committee members said after meeting for about three hours Thursday that there was no truth to reports of a rift among them.

“We’ve had no problems, and that’s the reality,” Hunter said.

Hunter said they spent no more than 10-15 minutes total on a conference call earlier this week and during Thursday’s gathering discussed the reports questioning Fisher’s allegiances.

“The battle is not within our union,” Bucks guard Keyon Dooling said. “Derek Fisher’s the best president our union has ever seen. We’ll stand as committee members — I’m the first vice president and I stand behind him.”

Not every player does.

About 50 disgruntled players held a conference call with an antitrust lawyer about the possibility of dissolving  their union. 

A person briefed on Thursday’s call told The Associated Press that small groups of players — including some of the game’s biggest stars — have held informal talks about the notion of decertifying for some time. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because players on the calls agreed to keep details private.

Thirty percent of players would have to sign a petition and then a majority would have to vote in favor for decertification. But mere talk of decertification could give the players’ side leverage in negotiations.

The person also confirmed that Boston’s Paul Pierce, Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Miami’s Dwyane Wade were among those participating in Thursday’s call, though the person did not provide specifics about who did the bulk of the talking and what was said.

“It’s an option,” the person said of players possibly choosing to decertify. “We didn’t ask for this. We want to play. If this gets us there, I’m all for it, because something’s got to happen.”

The New York Times reported that the disgruntled players plan to push for dissolving the union if this weekend’s labor talks are unsuccessful or prompt what’s considered an undesirable deal.

On Wednesday, the NBA had asked federal Judge Paul Gardephe to rule that the NBA’s lockout will not be considered an antitrust violation if the players dissolve the union. Gardephe did not immediately rule, but appeared skeptical of the arguments made by league attorney Jeffrey Mishkin.

Owners and players haven’t met since talks broke off last Friday. Hunter said federal mediator George Cohen contacted him earlier this week about possibly rejoining the negotiations. The conversation led to Hunter calling Commissioner David Stern on Wednesday about resuming talks, though it has yet to be determined whether Cohen will be involved.

Hunter said union leaders had spent the last several days cautioning players that the sides were still far apart on several system issues, so completing a deal was not as simple as a compromise on the revenue split.

“Our guys are in a position of they still want us to negotiate a fair deal,” Fisher said. “They’ve given us that power. They’ve given us that support.

“Obviously, we’re going to have individual members in individual sets of circumstances that want to get back to play. We want to get back to play. But we realize the ramifications of agreeing to a bad deal at this moment. … This particular collective bargaining agreement will forever impact the circumstances of NBA basketball players. We can’t rush into a deal we feel is a bad deal just to save this season.”

The lockout, which began July 1, has already led to the cancellation of a month of regular-season games. The sides met for three days last week, but again the talks stalled when they turned to the revenue split.

They will get back at it Saturday, though neither side seems to be shifting its stance.

“It’s not wise or prudent for us to not meet or let huge gaps of time go by and let the clock run and not meet, because then we just become more entrenched in our respective positions,” Hunter said. “At least if we’re around the table something might happen; I can’t predict if anything will.”

Hunter said he told Fisher after negotiations broke down Friday: “You will see the kind of friend I have been and will continue to be.”

CBSSports.com wire reports
March 28, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Bobcats started with no available centers and finished without their top two point guards. They were overmatched on the boards and made key mistakes late with a makeshift lineup.

And they won.

Nobody has claimed the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot has been pretty, but Charlotte’s stunning 87-86 comeback win over the bumbling Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night took the wackiness to a new level.

Thanks to Gerald Henderson’s clutch play and 11 straight missed shots by the Bucks to close the game, the Bobcats stayed a game behind Indiana for eighth place in the East. Milwaukee sank to three games back with nine to play.

“It was just remarkable,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said of the frantic finish.

Henderson scored the final seven points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left. But Charlotte’s third straight win wasn’t preserved until Brandon Jennings’ nightmare fourth quarter ended with two missed layups and a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim.

Continuing an alarming trend of fourth-quarter meltdowns, the Bucks were held without a field goal for the final 5:10 and scoreless for the last 3:52 in their second straight loss.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Jennings, who scored 26 points but shot 2 for 12 in the final quarter. “We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Neither did Andrew Bogut. The 7-footer also scored 26 points, but was scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the fourth despite a huge size advantage.

Two nights after allowing Chicago to close on a 12-0 run, this may have been an even more bizarre finish for Milwaukee considering what odd lineups Charlotte had on the floor.

Starting center Kwame Brown left Monday afternoon to be with his ill daughter in Georgia. With Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles) already sidelined and Nazr Mohammed traded to Oklahoma City last month, the Bobcats had no centers left.

Bogut carved up Tyrus Thomas in his return from bruised ribs for 18 points in the first quarter. Bogut had 26 entering the fourth with the Bucks ahead 72-65 when they got even more good fortune.

Charlotte starting point guard DJ Augustin left with a sprained left ankle and backup Shaun Livingston was lost to a bruised lower spine in just over a minute span early in the fourth. The last man standing was Garrett Temple, who was playing in the NBA Development League earlier this month and had appeared in two games with the Bobcats.

With Boris Diaw forced to play center and Stephen Jackson power forward, Henderson willed Charlotte to the victory as the Bucks’ ragged offense went awry.

“I knew we needed some scoring,” Henderson said.

The Bobcats got within 86-85 on Henderson’s jumper with 52 seconds left. After Bogut missed a contested layup, Henderson drilled a turnaround from the right wing to put Charlotte ahead 87-86.

Jennings then missed an open driving layup before Henderson grabbed a rebound in a wild scramble and called timeout from the floor. But Jennings then stole Diaw’s inbounds pass before missing another layup in traffic.

The Bucks, who held a 46-37 rebounding edge, grabbed the loose ball and Jennings missed a 3 from the left corner. Carlos Delfino then grabbed Milwaukee’s 17th offensive rebound, but his tip bounced off the rim as time expired.

“With 11 seconds left to go in the game, if you say you are going to get two layups and a wide-open 3 to win it and you don’t even have the ball, you would take that,” Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. “We just couldn’t make that.”

Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup when Gerald Wallace was traded last month, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jackson had 18 points for the Bobcats, who appeared out of the playoff race following a 23-point loss to Indiana last week.

Since then, Charlotte has knocked off Boston, New York and Milwaukee.

“Guys haven’t packed it in,” Henderson said.

The Bucks’ crushing loss marred the return of former All-Star Michael Redd.

When John Salmons picked up two quick fouls, Redd replaced him with 9:54 left in the first quarter in his first appearance in 14 months following his second major left knee injury.

Playing without a knee brace, Redd had two stints in each half. He didn’t score, missing all three shots while dishing out four assists in 15 minutes.

“I thought Mike moved around well,” Skiles said.

His team, though, is in trouble.

“It’s a very tough task for us to stay in the playoff hunt,” Bogut said.

Notes

• Silas wouldn’t be surprised if Przybilla, out since March 9, misses the rest of the season.
• Playoff fever hasn’t exactly gripped Charlotte. The announced crowd was 12,368.

By Rick Bonnell
Charlotte Observer

CHARLOTTE – They started with no center. They ended with nearly no point guards. It took 11 straight Milwaukee Bucks misses, strung over their last seven possessions.

But somehow the Charlotte Bobcats willed through an 87-86 home victory built on floor burns. Specifically, Gerald Henderson’s floor burns. Grabbing the ball away from Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, he tucked it away and called timeout in a single motion – a seemingly game-saving play after he made the go-ahead jump shot with 22 seconds left.

But even that wasn’t enough: Teammate Boris Diaw lost the ball on an in-bounds pass directed at Stephen Jackson, and the Bucks got three more shots up before the final buzzer mercifully sounded.

“This shows how we’ve grown,” said Jackson (18 points). “Our execution wasn’t good and we didn’t score a lot, but we were scrapping and rotating a lot.”

They managed to hold Bucks center Andrew Bogut to eight points over the last three quarters, after he scored 18 in the first quarter. And they pestered Jennings (26 points, nine rebounds and five assists) into 2-of-12 shooting in the fourth quarter.

Shorthanded

The Bobcats did that without starting center Kwame Brown (family emergency). They did it down the stretch without Tyrus Thomas (sore ribs that kept him out of the fourth quarter) and their top two point guards – D.J. Augustin (sprained ankle) and Shaun Livingston (bruised lower spine).

That meant playing with third-string Garrett Temple, who was just signed for the rest of the season as insurance at the point. Valuable insurance, it turned out, when Temple hit a key 3-pointer and played solid defense on Jennings.

“Garrett can play. Everybody knows he can play,” said Henderson, who scored seven of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. “He just never knows when he’ll play.”

The Bobcats needed this game to keep the Bucks behind them in the East standings and to stay within a game of the Indiana Pacers, who beat the Boston Celtics Monday.

It looked shaky with just under four minutes left, when Bucks forward Carlos Delfino made two free throws for an 86-80. Who knew those would be Milwaukee’s last points of the night?

“This was just the best – so shorthanded and we kept fighting,” said Bobcats coach Paul Silas.

“We didn’t make a lot of plays we should have made, but we made up for it by always contesting shots.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—

The Charlotte Bobcats started with no available centers and finished without their top two point guards. They were overmatched on the boards and made key mistakes late with a makeshift lineup.

And they won.

Nobody has claimed the race for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot has been pretty, but Charlotte’s stunning 87-86 comeback win over the bumbling Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night took the wackiness to a new level.

Thanks to Gerald Henderson’s clutch play and 11 straight missed shots by the Bucks to close the game, the Bobcats stayed a game behind Indiana for eighth place in the East. Milwaukee sank to three games back with nine to play.

“It was just remarkable,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said of the frantic finish.

Henderson scored the final seven points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left. But Charlotte’s third straight win wasn’t preserved until Brandon Jennings’ nightmare fourth quarter ended with two missed layups and a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim.

Continuing an alarming trend of fourth-quarter meltdowns, the Bucks were held without a field goal for the final 5:10 and scoreless for the last 3:52 in their second straight loss.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Jennings, who scored 26 points but shot 2 for 12 in the final quarter. “We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Neither did Andrew Bogut. The 7-footer also scored 26 points, but was scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the fourth despite a huge size advantage.

Two nights after allowing Chicago to close on a 12-0 run, this may have been an even more bizarre finish for Milwaukee considering what odd lineups Charlotte had on the floor.

Starting center Kwame Brown left Monday afternoon to be with his ill daughter in Georgia. With Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles’ tendon) already sidelined and Nazr Mohammed traded to Oklahoma City last month, the Bobcats had no centers left.

Bogut carved up Tyrus Thomas in his return from bruised ribs for 18 points in the first quarter. Bogut had 26 entering the fourth with the Bucks ahead 72-65 when they got even more good fortune.

Charlotte starting point guard D.J. Augustin left with a sprained left ankle and backup Shaun Livingston was lost to a bruised lower spine in just over a minute span early in the fourth. The last man standing was Garrett Temple, who was playing in the NBA Development League earlier this month and had appeared in two games with the Bobcats.

With Boris Diaw forced to play center and Stephen Jackson power forward, Henderson willed Charlotte to the victory as the Bucks’ ragged offense went awry.

“I knew we needed some scoring,” Henderson said.

The Bobcats got within 86-85 on Henderson’s jumper with 52 seconds left. After Bogut missed a contested layup, Henderson drilled a turnaround from the right wing to put Charlotte ahead 87-86.

Jennings then missed an open driving layup before Henderson grabbed a rebound in a wild scramble and called timeout from the floor. But Jennings then stole Diaw’s inbounds pass before missing another layup in traffic.

The Bucks, who held a 46-37 rebounding edge, grabbed the loose ball and Jennings missed a 3 from the left corner. Carlos Delfino then grabbed Milwaukee’s 17th offensive rebound, but his tip bounced off the rim as time expired.

“With 11 seconds left to go in the game, if you say you are going to get two layups and a wide-open 3 to win it and you don’t even have the ball, you would take that,” Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. “We just couldn’t make that.”

Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup when Gerald Wallace was traded last month, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jackson had 18 points for the Bobcats, who appeared out of the playoff race following a 23-point loss to Indiana last week.

Since then, Charlotte has knocked off Boston, New York and Milwaukee.

“Guys haven’t packed it in,” Henderson said.

The Bucks’ crushing loss marred the return of former All-Star Michael Redd.

When John Salmons picked up two quick fouls, Redd replaced him with 9:54 left in the first quarter in his first appearance in 14 months following his second major left knee injury.

Playing without a knee brace, Redd had two stints in each half. He didn’t score, missing all three shots while dishing out four assists in 15 minutes.

“I thought Mike moved around well,” Skiles said.

His team, though, is in trouble.

“It’s a very tough task for us to stay in the playoff hunt,” Bogut said.

Notes: Silas wouldn’t be surprised if Przybilla, out since March 9, misses the rest of the season. … Playoff fever hasn’t exactly gripped Charlotte. The announced crowd was 12,368.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Gerald Henderson scored the final seven points, including the go-ahead jumper with 22 seconds left, and the short-handed Charlotte Bobcats staged an unlikely comeback to beat the mistake-prone Milwaukee Bucks 87-86 on Monday night.

Starting with no available centers before losing their top two point guards to injuries, the Bobcats remained in playoff contention after Brandon Jennings missed two layups and a 3-pointer in the final 15 seconds that would have put the Bucks ahead.

Stephen Jackson scored 18 points for the Bobcats, who held Milwaukee scoreless over the final 3:52.

Jennings and Andrew Bogut had 26 points apiece for the Bucks, who lost their second straight and continued an alarming trend of blowing fourth-quarter leads.

This one may have been the most head-scratching of all.

At the end, the Bobcats had power forward Boris Diaw playing center, small forward Jackson at power forward and Garrett Temple, who was in the NBA Development League earlier this month, running the offense.

And they still somehow won to remain one game behind Indiana for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. The Bucks fell three games behind the Pacers.

The Bobcats got within 86-85 on Henderson’s jumper with 52 seconds left. After Bogut missed a contested layup, Henderson drilled a turnaround from the right wing to put Charlotte ahead 87-86.

Jennings then missed a wide-open driving layup before Henderson grabbed a rebound in a wild scramble and called timeout from the floor. But Jennings then stole Diaw’s inbounds pass before missing another layup in traffic.

The Bucks, who held a 46-37 rebounding edge, grabbed the loose ball and Jennings missed a 3 from the left corner. Carlos Delfino then grabbed Milwaukee’s 17th offensive rebound, but his tip bounced off the rim as time expired.

It was another stirring win for the Bobcats, who appeared out of the playoff race following a 23-point loss to Indiana last week, Since then, Charlotte has knocked off Boston, New York and Milwaukee.

Starting point guard D.J. Augustin left with a sprained left ankle and backup Shaun Livingston was lost to a bruised lower spine in just over a minute span early in the fourth quarter. The last man standing was Temple, who was signed for the remainder of the season Monday morning.

Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup when Gerald Wallace was traded last month, scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Bobcats, who had little to work with inside.

Starting center Kwame Brown left the team Monday afternoon to be with his ill daughter in Georgia. With Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles’ tendon) already sidelined and Nazr Mohammed traded to Oklahoma City last month, the Bobcats had no centers left.

Power forward Tyrus Thomas, returning after missing two games with bruised ribs, started in the middle and was ineffective. Bogut had 18 points in the first quarter and 26 as the Bucks were up 72-65 entering the third quarter in the season debut of former All-Star Michael Redd.

When John Salmons picked up two quick fouls, Redd replaced him with 9:54 left in the first quarter in his first appearance in 14 months following his second major left knee injury.

Playing without a knee brace, Redd had two stints in each half. He didn’t score, missing all three shots while dishing out four assists in 15 minutes.

Notes: Bobcats coach Paul Silas wouldn’t be surprised if Przybilla, out since March 9, misses the rest of the season. … Skiles said before the game it’s been frustrating for all not finding a go-to guy in the clutch. “We’ve had a hard time establishing a hierarchy of where we’re going to go for key plays,” he said. “Our futility late in games has definitely bothered guys.”

MILWAUKEE — Even though Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic clinched a playoff berth with their effort on Wednesday night, the performance left a lot for them to ponder.

“We did about everything wrong we could do,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Another game with 19 turnovers. We didn’t make any free throws. We couldn’t stop them. But we got out with a win.”

Howard had 31 points and 22 rebounds to lead the Magic to a 93-89 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Orlando tried to give this one away in lots of different ways before Hedo Turkoglu came through in overtime with eight of his 19 points to salvage a victory even though the Bucks were missing center Andrew Bogut due to a migraine headache.

“We didn’t imagine playing in overtime tonight,” Turkoglu said. “They had a lot of movement and energy out there, but in the end we just knew how to execute better, made some big plays, hit some big shots and put the game away.”

The Magic went 20-of-35 from the free throw line, with Howard tying a career high with 24 attempts. He made only 13. The misses, as well as two bad plays by Jameer Nelson down the stretch, nearly cost Orlando.

Brandon Jennings scored 23 points and John Salmons scored 20 of his 22 in the second half and overtime.

Orlando saved one of its best rebounding efforts for the end, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime as Milwaukee lost rookie Larry Sanders and Jon Brockman due to foul trouble.

Turkoglu made a key jumper in the corner with a minute left, Earl Barron missed one and Nelson added a basket to give Orlando a 91-87 lead with 24 seconds left.

Salmons answered with a layup, but Turkoglu made two free throws for the final margin.

“Turkoglu played huge for them in the overtime. He really didn’t do too much during the game, but when overtime came, he knocked down a bunch of big shots for them,” Jennings said. “We just couldn’t convert.”

Orlando could’ve wrapped up the game in a back-and-forth fourth quarter, but missed seven free-throw attempts down the stretch. Ryan Anderson hit the first of two to put the Magic ahead 79-74 with 40 seconds left.

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Keyon Dooling answered with two free throws and Nelson made another gaffe with 4.3 seconds left when he fouled Jennings behind the three-point line.

“It was close,” Van Gundy said. “We wanted to foul him only if he put it on the floor right on the dribble. He was a little late, so I thought it was close.”

Jennings sunk all three to tie the game and Jason Richardson’s 29-footer at the buzzer clanked harmlessly off the side of the rim to send the game to overtime.

Howard said he felt good about his approach at the free-throw line, even though he missed so many and realized that the game should’ve been put away long before the extra period.

“I know for myself, everything was in and out or it looked good, it just didn’t go in,” Howard said. “Every time I step to the line, it felt good. But sometimes, the results are not the way we want them.”

The results have been against Milwaukee all season. The Bucks have been the worst-shooting, lowest-scoring team in the NBA and had appeared briefly to shake out of their season-long slump with a three-game winning streak.

But Milwaukee scored a franchise-low 56 points in a 31-point loss to Boston on Sunday and then fell 110-85 in Atlanta, shooting 37.1 percent over the two-game skid.

It looked like more of the same.

Milwaukee missed 14 straight shots and committed three turnovers over a 7½-minute stretch as Orlando used a 17-1 run to take a lead that reached 14 in the first half and had the Magic looking relaxed.

At one point during a timeout, Orlando guard Chris Duhon joined in the fun with his own shimmy when the in-house entertainment asked fans to dance to “Teach Me How to Dougie.”

Duhon’s moves drew giggles at the end of the bench, but Salmons and Milwaukee started the second half hot as it turned out to be no laugher for Orlando. In the end, Milwaukee came up short again.

“It’s not that we haven’t moved the ball, it’s that we’re not getting anything from it,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “We’ve got to be really sharp with our execution and make good decisions. There has been too much tape where we have guys open and we’re just not seeing them.”

Milwaukee had its excuses for scoring just 56 points in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean the game’s outcome should have served as a surprise.

The Bucks entered Sunday with the league’s worst offense, ranked 30 amongst 30 teams in offensive efficiency, and Scott Skiles’ crew walked out of Boston looking even worse. In a league where over 112 points per 100 possessions will pace the field, and 100 points per 100 possessions will have you bringing up the rear, the Bucks scored a shocking 65 points per 100 possessions. And the team’s mark of 38 points through three quarters set an NBA record as an all-time low.

Just nine points in the first quarter for Milwaukee, against a Boston team that jumped from second in the NBA in defensive efficiency to first based solely on this dominant performance. The Bucks had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (eight) in the first half; and though the team had flown in from Milwaukee after a 102-74 home win over the 76ers on Sunday morning (losing two hours with the time change and the spring introduction of Daylight Savings Time), close observers of the Bucks knew that it was only a matter of time before the team dropped a bomb like this.

The Celtics threw in their sportsmanship towel early, as no regular starter played more than 30 minutes, and newly added types like Carlos Arroyo(notes), Jeff Green(notes), Troy Murphy(notes) and Sasha Pavlovic(notes) did most of the heavy lifting. No Bucks starter played more than 28 minutes, but with a starting lineup that thinks about defense 14 times before wondering how it is going to make its first basket, it’s not as if that mattered much.

Milwaukee shot 31.4 percent, which you’ll see in a game from time to time, but it also made only three three-pointers, and nine free throws. Those are terribly low numbers. The team also added miscue to malignancy by turning the ball over on 20 percent of its possessions. Despite 54 chances for an offensive rebound after a missed field goal or free throw, the Bucks managed just six offensive rebounds all night. And former New York Knick castaway Earl Barron(notes) led the team in scoring. With 10 points.

All is not lost for Milwaukee. Despite the season-long swoon on the offensive end, Milwaukee ranks third in defensive efficiency, and the team is still just 1.5 games in back of the Indiana Pacers for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. Though it should be noted that, as the standings currently sit, the Bucks would face Boston in the first round. Hopefully only radio (short wave, AM radio) will carry that series.

Related: Jeff Green, Troy Murphy, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Uncategorized

BOSTON — Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics take a lot of pride in their defense, so this one was a gem. For Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles, it was embarrassing.

Allen scored 17 points in just three quarters and the Celtics set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in the shot-clock era, routing the Bucks 87-56 on Sunday.

“I think playing defense perfectly is our goal,” Allen said. “That’s what we shoot for, but a team can still score while you’re doing that.”

Not this time.

It was the lowest score against the Celtics since they beat the Milwaukee Hawks 62-57 at Providence, R.I., on Feb. 27, 1955. The Bucks, who joined the NBA before the 1968-69 season, set a franchise record for fewest points.

“That’s about as humiliating a defeat as you’ll ever see,” Skiles said. “They got us on our heels and took our competitive fight away from us. We pretty much just gave into it.”

Milwaukee was coming off 102-74 home win over Philadelphia on Saturday. When the Bucks flew east to Boston, they lost an hour to the Eastern time zone and then another hour to daylight savings time. And when the 6 p.m. EDT start arrived Sunday, they plodded their way to all of nine points in the first quarter.

“You could see they were tired,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “So, we took advantage and that was great, but a lot of it had to do with their schedule.”

The Celtics held the Bucks to just 38 points through three quarters — an NBA record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They clinched the new franchise low when Milwaukee’s Keyon Dooling missed a pair of free throws with 22 seconds remaining.

Earl Barron was the only player to score in double figures for the Bucks, finishing with 10 points.

Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee’s starters with eight points apiece. Guard John Salmons was shut out altogether in 21 minutes.

It was Milwaukee’s most dismal performance since an 88-58 loss to Seattle on Feb. 21, 2003 — the day after the Bucks traded Allen to the SuperSonics in a multiplayer deal for Gary Payton.

Eight years later, Allen had a light workout with 30 minutes for the Celtics, who also got Glenn “Big Baby” Davis back after missing four games with a strained tendon in his left knee. Davis finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Troy Murphy added 12 points and seven boards and Jeff Green scored 11 for Boston.

The Bucks, who had won three straight, barely avoided the NBA record for fewest points in a half. Two field goals by Bogut in the final minute of the second quarter pushed Milwaukee’s score from 18 to 22 — just three better than the league record for futility. It tied the Bucks’ franchise low and was the fewest scored in a half against the Celtics ever.

The Bucks had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (eight) in the half and were outrebounded by Boston 27-17 in the first two periods.

Rout of Bucks sets Celtics record for fewest points

Ray Allen scored 17 points and the Boston Celtics blew out the cold-shooting Milwaukee Bucks, 87-56, on Sunday evening at TD Garden. Nenad Krstic had 11 points and 14 boards for Boston, which held Milwaukee to 31.4% shooting. Read more at CelticsBlog and Brew Hoop.

(Sports Network) – The Boston Celtics are starting to feel the heat and look to get back on track tonight versus the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden.

Boston has dropped two straight after winning five in a row and suffered an 89-86 loss at Philadelphia the last time out on Friday. Jeff Green led the way with 18 points off the bench and Nenad Krstic supplied 16 and 15 rebounds. Both players were acquired from Oklahoma City in the Kendrick Perkins deal.

Kevin Garnett scored 14 points and Paul Pierce was held to 11 points with seven rebounds and five assists in a losing effort.

“We never established anything, we had no rhythm,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “We just tried to do things on our own. We are usually the team that executes at the end but we were trying to get something out of nothing.”

The Atlantic Division-leading Celtics are just percentage points ahead of surging Chicago for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have won six in a row to soar up the standings and Miami is just 2 1/2 games off the pace.

Boston is 27-6 as the host in 2010-11 and had a four-game home winning streak stopped by the LA Clippers on March 9. In injury news, Glen Davis is questionable with knee issues.

Milwaukee will try to extend its winning streak to a season high four straight games in Beantown this evening in the opener of a two-game trip. It will also visit Atlanta and is just 9-22 away from Brew City this season.

The Bucks won their third straight game by handing Philadelphia a 102-74 setback Saturday night behind 17 points and nine rebounds from Andrew Bogut. Luc Mbah a Moute added 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Brandon Jennings scored 15 points for the Bucks, who haven’t won four in a row since last April 3-9.

“He was better,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of Bogut. “He did a nice job defensively again. He made the proper plays out of there, but we didn’t score. Then as the game went on, they didn’t come down there as much and he was able to get loose a little bit.”

Keyon Dooling and Carlos Delfino ended with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Milwaukee is a half-game off the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, which is currently occupied by both Indiana and Charlotte.

Boston has defeated the Bucks twice already this season and is 10-3 over the past 13 contests in this series. Milwaukee has dropped five of six trips to TD Garden.

The Sports Network

MILWAUKEE — Andrew Bogut scored 17 points and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 102-74 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

The Bucks have been the worst-shooting, lowest-scoring team in the NBA, but were anything but for a third straight game to match their season-best winning streak.

Despite a trying season because of injuries to all five starters, the Bucks (26-38) are a half-game back of Indiana and Charlotte for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Sixers (34-32) started off this five-game road trip with a dud despite 16 points from reserve Lou Williams. They remain comfortably in seventh place in the standings, but failed to gain ground on New York.

Brandon Jennings scored 15 points, Keyon Dooling 13 and Carlos Delfino 12 as the Bucks got contributions from all over and blew the game open in the first half. Philadelphia never got closer than 12 after halftime.

Jodie Meeks scored 13 points and Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala had 10 apiece, but the Sixers never seemed in sync with 21 turnovers. It was obvious during one ugly stretch in the third quarter.

Bogut was able to corral an offensive rebound with only his left hand by tapping it twice to himself, and as Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes converged, they got tangled up and fell to the ground. It gave Bogut a clear path for an uncontested layup.

Less than a minute later, Jrue Holiday sent an alley-oop pass in the direction of Iguodala, but Iguodala would’ve needed to get about 13 feet up in the air to finish the play.

PHILADELPHIA (74)

Iguodala 4-6 0-0 10, Brand 1-3 1-2 3, Hawes 3-8 0-0 6, Holiday 3-4 0-0 6, Meeks 5-10 0-0 13, Turner 5-12 0-0 10, Williams 6-12 3-3 16, Young 0-4 0-0 0, Speights 3-9 1-1 7, Battie 0-2 0-0 0, Brackins 0-5 0-0 0, Nocioni 1-3 1-2 3. Totals 31-78 6-8 74.

MILWAUKEE (102)

Delfino 5-9 0-0 12, Mbah a Moute 4-8 6-7 14, Bogut 7-12 3-5 17, Jennings 5-15 1-2 15, Salmons 3-6 0-0 6, Dooling 4-8 3-3 13, Sanders 4-6 0-2 8, Boykins 4-7 0-0 8, Douglas-Roberts 4-4 0-0 9, Brockman 0-0 0-0 0, Barron 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 40-76 13-19 102.

(Page 2 of 2)

Philadelphia 25 16 16 17 — 74

Milwaukee 26 33 21 22 — 102

3-Point Goals — Philadelphia 6-16 (Meeks 3-7, Iguodala 2-3, Williams 1-3, Nocioni 0-1, Brackins 0-2), Milwaukee 9-17 (Jennings 4-7, Dooling 2-4, Delfino 2-4, Douglas-Roberts 1-1, Boykins 0-1). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — Philadelphia 40 (Hawes 7), Milwaukee 51 (Mbah a Moute 12). Assists — Philadelphia 23 (Iguodala 5), Milwaukee 27 (Boykins, Salmons 7). Total Fouls — Philadelphia 17, Milwaukee 15. A — 15,832 (18,717).

He never got close as the ball ricocheted off the backboard into the hands of Bogut for a turnover.

Bogut finished an alley-oop himself from John Salmons with a minute left in the third quarter that gave Milwaukee a 78-55 lead, and the 7-footer sat the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter as the Bucks’ lead reached 34.

In the last three games, the Bucks are averaging 102.3 points, more than 10 above their season average, and shooting 50.4 percent after coming in making just 42.5 percent of their shots this season.

Milwaukee had pointed to this game as key after easy wins over hapless Washington and Cleveland. But a more formidable opponent looms Sunday night when the Bucks face Boston, tops in the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee’s starting lineup of Bogut, Jennings, Mbah a Moute, Salmons and Delfino has missed a combined 77 games this season and the Bucks most recently have been without Drew Gooden (left foot plantar faciitis) and Ersan Ilyasova (concussion).

But, they may get much better soon.

Michael Redd (left knee) is expected to return in the next seven to 10 days and could provide a needed lift on offense down the stretch.

Notes: Milwaukee now has four three-game winning streaks this year. … Ilyasova is expected to begin light physical activity on Monday. He’s been out seven games so far. … After this five-game road trip, Philadelphia has just four more games left away from home.

Milwaukee – The Milwaukee Bucks are shooting their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.Andrew Bogut scored 17 points and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals to lift the Bucks to a 102-74 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.”Our defense has always been kind of stable. On the offensive end, we’re moving the ball better, guys are shooting their shots with more confidence,” Mbah a Moute said. “We need to play that way for the rest of the season if we want to make the playoffs.”The Bucks have been the worst-shooting, lowest-scoring team in the NBA, but were anything but for a third straight game to match their season-best winning streak.Despite a trying season because of injuries to all five starters, the Bucks (26-38) are a half-game back of Indiana and Charlotte for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.”It’s pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?” Bogut said.Brandon Jennings scored 15 points, Keyon Dooling 13 and Carlos Delfino 12 as the Bucks got contributions from all over and blew the game open in the first half. Philadelphia never got closer than 12 after halftime.The Sixers (34-32) started off this five-game road trip with a dud despite 16 points from reserve Lou Williams in their fourth game in five nights. They remain comfortably in seventh place in the standings, but failed to gain ground on New York.”We came out flat in the beginning. Tried to make a run in the third quarter but it just didn’t work for us,” said Jodie Meeks, who scored 13 points. “We just have to forget about it.”Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala had 10 apiece, but the Sixers never seemed in sync a night after beating Boston and coming in winners of eight of the last 10. It was obvious during one ugly stretch in the third quarter.Bogut was able to corral an offensive rebound with only his left hand by tapping it twice to himself, and as Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes converged, they got tangled up and fell to the ground. It gave Bogut a clear path for an uncontested layup.Less than a minute later, Jrue Holiday sent an alley-oop pass in the direction of Iguodala, but Iguodala would’ve needed to get about 13 feet up in the air to finish the play. He never got close as the ball ricocheted off the backboard into the hands of Bogut for a turnover, one of 21 the Sixers committed.”This is one of those nights you say ‘thanks’ to the NBA schedule,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. “When we start turning the ball over like we did, that’s a sign that we’re a pretty tired team. Five games in seven nights, we’ve had some really tough games.”Bogut finished an alley-oop from John Salmons with a minute left in the third quarter that gave Milwaukee a 78-55 lead, and the 7-footer sat the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter as the Bucks’ lead reached 34.”Everything clicked for everybody,” Bogut said.In the last three games, the Bucks are averaging 102.3 points, more than 10 above their season average, and shooting 50.4 percent after coming in making just 42.5 percent of their shots this season.Milwaukee had pointed to this game as key after easy wins over hapless Washington and Cleveland. But a more formidable opponent looms Sunday night when the Bucks face Boston, tops in the Eastern Conference.”We haven’t played well against Philly the last couple of years and they’ve sort of had our number, so it was good to get a win,” Bogut said. “But, our real test is tomorrow obviously with one of the best teams in the league. Whatever happens after tomorrow night’s game, we’re going to know where we’re at.”

The Boston Celtics haven’t had any prolonged slumps, so the prospect of losing a third consecutive game has to be a bit foreign to the defending Eastern Conference champions.

With the way they’ve played most of the season, the thought of a fourth straight win has to be surreal for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Celtics will try to avoid their longest slide in nearly a year Sunday as they host the Bucks, who have blown out their last three opponents to get back in the playoff race.

Boston (46-17) won its first five games with recently acquired Jeff Green(notes) and Nenad Krstic(notes), including 89-83 at Milwaukee last Sunday.

The Celtics came out flat Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers and lost 108-103, then couldn’t recover Friday at Philadelphia. Boston shot 41.8 percent and got just 16 combined points from Paul Pierce(notes) and Ray Allen(notes) – 20 below their average – in an 89-86 defeat.

“We were dead tired, dead out of it, it looked like,” coach Doc Rivers said.

That 76ers certainly had that look Saturday in Milwaukee. Fresh off a 19-point win at Washington and a 20-point victory over Cleveland, the Bucks (26-38) shot 52.6 percent and cruised 102-74.

Milwaukee, which averages 91.7 points and shoots 42.7 percent – both NBA lows—has averaged 102.3 points and shot 50.4 percent while tying its longest winning streak of the season.

“Our defense has always been kind of stable. On the offensive end, we’re moving the ball better, guys are shooting their shots with more confidence,” said Luc Richard Mbah a Moute(notes), who had 14 points, 12 rebounds and five steals. “We need to play that way for the rest of the season if we want to make the playoffs.”

Beating the Celtics could put the Bucks in playoff position. Tenth in the East heading into the day, Milwaukee is just one half-game behind Indiana and Charlotte – both of which play on the road Sunday.

“It’s pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?” center Andrew Bogut(notes) said.

There are plenty of reasons to doubt the Bucks can pull out a win at the TD Garden, though. Boston hasn’t lost three straight since March 28-April 2, 2010, and it’s responded to its four two-game skids this season with winning streaks of 14, four, four and three.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, has gone into a tailspin after its previous three-game winning streaks. The Bucks have followed with slides of five, three and four games.

They’ll at least be healthier than they were a week ago against Boston. Bogut missed that game with a muscle strain in his ribcage, while Corey Maggette(notes) should be available after sitting out two games with a knee injury.

Maggette was active Saturday, but coach Scott Skiles didn’t play him.

Bogut’s presence could be key. He’s averaged 22.8 points and 13.3 rebounds in his last four games against the Celtics.

Bogut will likely see an additional big body he’ll have to deal with underneath the basket, however. Boston expects to have Glen Davis(notes) back after its burly forward has missed the last four games with patellar tendinitis.

The Celtics could use him, considering they fell into a tie for the East’s top spot Saturday after Chicago won its sixth straight game.

Rivers, though, is prone to playing it cautious with his aging team’s injured players. Delonte West(notes), Shaquille O’Neal(notes) and Jermaine O’Neal(notes) are all being cautious in their recoveries.

“We want the one seed, but we want health, too,” Rivers said.