Celtics hold off Bucks, 98-89

It's starting to become a trend: The Big Three decide they need a rest, or are playing an inferior opponent, so they give Rondo the keys to the offense for a night while coasting through an easy night.

Tonight's, 98-89 win at the TD Bank Garden was no different; Rondo orchestrated his way to a near triple-double: 11 points, 13 assists and 9 rebounds, while he fed his big buddy Perkins, who contributed 15 points and 5 rebounds.

KG continued his hot shooting, connecting on 9-13 shots for 25 points and 9 rebounds.

Bogut led the way for the Bucks, impressing both me and the Comcast crew on his way to 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Illyasova (19 points, 8 rebs) was also a mismatch tonight, mostly on the pick-and-pop with Brandon Jennings and against Brian Scalabrine, who had a tough time defending. Scal was so bad against the pick-and-roll, I even tweeted that we should use Tony Allen more in the second half. Tony played about 5 minutes in his debut tonight.

Frankly, the outcome of the game was never in doubt as the Celtics conserved energy for the stiffer tests coming on the road this week. Boston's 15 TO's and Milwaukee's 44-35 rebounding advantage combined to give the Bucks some extra chances, which kept it close, but Garnett was ready and willing to put the game away in the 4th quarter.

PLAYER OF THE NIGHT

• Rajon Rondo- 11 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds

BENCH MARK TO BE RECOGNIZED

• Kevin Garnett- Becomes the 25th leading scorer in NBA history. Next up? Larry Bird, at #24.

LOUDMOUTH QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

• "Ah, Shit!" - Kendrick Perkins, after getting scored on early by Andrew Bogut. I'm sure there were plenty more expletives to follow.

RONDO VS. JENNINGS MATCHUP?

• Since I chose Rondo as the player of the game , it's no surprise who won this matchup, but Jennings put up a little fight with 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds.