2-14 Boston 117 Milwaukee 97

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Boston 117 Milwaukee 97

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Even with star Paul Pierce back in the lineup the Boston Celtics are still looking
for a way back into the win column.

The Celtics will try to avoid extending their franchise-record losing streak to 19 games when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Ten teams in NBA history have lost at least 19 games in a row in a single season and Boston (19-32) is closing in on Cleveland's league record of 24 straight losses that spanned the end of the 1981-82 and start of the 1982-83 seasons.

The Celtics almost ended their slide in Sunday's 109-107 road loss to Minnesota. Boston led by 10 points in the first half and by two with just over one minute to play in the game, but it turned the ball over three times in the final 90 seconds and the Timberwolves' Ricky Davis - a former Celtic - hit a jumper with 0.2 remaining for the win.

NBA.com Celtics Look to Snap Their Longest-Losing Streak; Host Bucks

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BOSTON, Feb. 14 (AP) -- Al Jefferson was happily watching the final seconds of garbage time from the Boston bench when Delonte West gave him a piece of advice.

"We've got nothing to celebrate,'' Jefferson recalled after Boston ended its franchise-record losing streak at 18 games by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97. "We should feel good about it. But don't run off the court like we won the championship.''

NBA.com Celtics End Slide by Routing Struggling Bucks

[Hellwig]

How bad is it to lose to a team that was on an 18 game losing streak yet alone lose to them by 20!

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Yeah Agree it has been pritty bad for the Bucks lately.

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Boston - Al Jefferson was happily watching the final seconds of garbage time from the Boston bench when Delonte West gave him a piece of advice.

"We've got nothing to celebrate," Jefferson recalled after Boston ended its franchise-record losing streak at 18 games by beating the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-97.

JS Online: More road chill

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ON THE COURT

Player of the game: Paul Pierce scored 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting and had four assists in 36 minutes in his third game back from foot and elbow injuries.

Play of the game: Pierce rolled off a screen by big man Kendrick Perkins, pulled up on one foot and hit a three-pointer to give him 8 points in the final 2 minutes 26 seconds of the half to send the Celtics to the locker room with a 58-54 lead.

Statistics sheet: So far this season, the starting lineup of Mo Williams, Charlie Bell, Ruben Patterson, Brian Skinner and Andrew Bogut is 0-3.

JS Online: Wednesday game report

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There is no substitute for youthful optimism.

Minutes removed from finally snapping a franchise-record 18-game losing streak, some Celtics were talking of putting together a winning streak.

"Our first half of the season wasn't too great. We lost 17, 18 in a row. We don't want to go back to that," said Gerald Green, who had 21 points in a 117-97 win over the Bucks Wednesday night at TD Banknorth Garden.

At long last, a nice break for the Celtics - The Boston Globe

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Finally.

Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics won a basketball game.

Admit it, that felt good. Even all of you Celtics fans out there scribbling extra verses to your “Ode to Oden”, and worshipping the court Kevin Durant walks on wanted to see the green pull one out. You know, just to make sure any of the players still knew how it was done.

Around loss number eleventeen in a row even rational fans stop saying “hey, we’re just developing young talent,” and start thinking “wait a second, these guys are terrible.” Nothing like a 20-point blowout to the Reddless Bucks to renew faith in your basketball team. After all, God is a Celtics fan. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It was starting to look like the Captain might jump ship.

It was clear Paul had had enough of the losing. He came back early to keep himself out of those other history books. The ones filled with 0-fers, sweeps, sub-.500 seasons, and the worst kind of streaks. A whole lot worse than those pesky streaks on your window. A lot harder to get rid of too. Enter No. 34, the Windex Man.

The Green Room - Celtics fan diaries - Boston.com

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It had been 40 days since last the Celtics [team stats] sipped victory. Sixty-one since a triumph was served at home. For a team that has not dealt at all well with its youth and injuries along the way, last evening’s 117-97 win over Milwaukee tasted mainly like relief.

That wind gust on Causeway Street around 9:45 p.m. was no meteorological mystery. It was the Celts performing a team exhalation.

“The guys are just relieved,” said Doc Rivers after emerging from the dressing room. “They’re taking monkeys off each others’ backs and all that stuff. It’s just a relief to get that done, just to win a game.”

C’s streak stops here: Bucks play the foil as historic slide ends - Boston Celtics - BostonHerald.com