Boston
Malcolm Brogdon, one of the leading contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year, finished with 16 points and nine assists. He had six key points in the final 2:46 to help Milwaukee fend off a late Boston charge.
The Bucks (39-36) have won five of six, including four straight on the road.
Boston (48-27) had won four in a row. The loss put the Celtics back in second in the East, percentage points behind idle Cleveland.
After playing from behind most of the night, Boston had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but couldn’t get a clean inbounds pass. Marcus Smart managed only a wild air ball as time expired.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 32 points. Avery Bradley added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics trailed throughout the fourth quarter before Smart got free for a driving layup to tie it at 93 with 2:46 left.
But the Bucks responded with an 8-3 run, led by two baskets and two assists by Brogdon.
Thomas scored four straight to get Boston within one, but Brogdon came through again — this time with a fallaway jumper over Bradley with the shot clock winding down — to make it 103-100 with just 3.9 seconds left.
The Bucks sprinted to an early 14-4 lead aided largely by the Celtics, who started the game just 1 for 7 from the field.
Boston’s offense finally got on track, and it got back into the game with a 10-0 run.
Attitudes then flared just before halftime when Smart and Khris Middleton collided in midair while trying to corral a loose ball. Both walked away bloodied on the play, and after Smart was initially called for a foul, he also received a technical for something he said to an official.
After a review the personal foul was changed, and charged to Middleton.
Notes: With his layup in the closing seconds of the first half, Thomas became just the sixth Celtic ever to score 2,000 points in a single season. Earlier in the half he extended his streak with at least one 3-pointer to a franchise-best 50 straight games. … Thomas picked up his 13th technical foul of the season in the first quarter. … Smart’s technical was his eighth of the season.
Thunder 114, Magic 106 (ot)
Orlando, Fla.
Westbrook, a leading MVP candidate, led the Thunder from behind by as many as 21 points in the second half as he recorded his 38th triple-double of the season.
And like the 13-point outburst in the final three minutes against Dallas on Monday night for the win, Westbrook was again the catalyst as he hit big shots in the fourth quarter, including the tying 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds remaining to force the extra period.
Hornets 110, Raptors 106
Toronto
Walker hit two big 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes, including one that gave the Hornets a 104-101 lead with 37.5 seconds left. He also had four rebounds and two assists, helping Charlotte (34-41) stop Toronto’s six-game win streak.
Pelicans 121, Mavericks 118
New Orleans
Back from a right ankle sprain, Cousins played 40 minutes. His baskets included a 29-foot 3-pointer at the end of the first half and he was 10 of 12 at the free-throw line.
Grizzlies 110, Pacers 97
Memphis, Tenn.
Vince Carter had 21 points and eight rebounds, and Zach Randolph finished with 17 points as Memphis snapped a four-game losing streak.
Heat 105, Knicks 88
New York
Reserve James Johnson added 18 points for the Heat, who began play eighth in the Eastern Conference and a game behind Indiana for seventh as they continue a second-half surge that could carry them to the postseason.
Hawks 99, Sixers 92
Philadelphia
The Hawks have won two straight following a seven-game losing streak that stunted their push in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
Atlanta is still in the fight for a fifth seed with Milwaukee, Indiana and Miami.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kent Bazemore each scored 19 points for the Hawks.