There was a lot on the line in the Eastern Conference playoff race in Boston on Friday.
The Celtics entered in ninth place, one half game behind eighth-place Miami and three games back of sixth-place Milwaukee.
It was the Bucks who ended up inching closer to clinching a playoff berth Friday, as Milwaukee took control early in the third quarter and held on for a 110-101 victory over Boston at TD Garden.
1 big moment: Trailing 56-55 early in the third quarter, the Bucks rattled off an 18-2 run to grab a 73-58 lead with. Ersan Ilyasova scored 13 points to lead the third-quarter surge with 11 of those points coming during the aforementioned surge.
2 top performers: In his sixth game back since returning from a lingering hamstring issue, Bucks guard O.J. Mayo came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points with six assists and two steals. Milwaukee hung close with Boston in the first half thanks to Mayo, who scored 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting prior to halftime.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 34 minutes off the bench.
3 key stats: The win over Boston dropped Milwaukee's magic number to clinch a playoff berth from five to three. Seventh-place Brooklyn topped Toronto on Friday, meaning the Bucks' magic number to clinch the sixth seed is five.
Led by Mayo, the Bucks received 50 points from their bench Friday. Jared Dudley and John Henson each scored 10 points, while Jerryd Bayless chipped in six.
Seven players scored in double figures for Milwaukee -- Mayo (24), Ilyasova (17), Khris Middleton (13), Giannis Antetokounmpo (11), Zaza Pachulia (11), Henson (10) and Dudley (10). The Bucks recorded 31 assists against the Celtics, two off their season high.
Said: "Right at the beginning (of) the game they switched all the pick-and-rolls and put a small on me. We went into the locker room and made adjustments for the second half. That worked for us. We did a really good job sharing the ball offensively." -- Ilyasova
"We're getting better, man. We're relying on a bunch of young guys that are getting better by the day." -- Mayo
Seen: Thought to be out for the season with a broken bone in his left foot, Celtics forward Jared Sullinger was cleared by the team to return against the Bucks on Friday.
In his first game since Feb. 11, Sullinger went scoreless in just three minutes of action.
Next: The Bucks return home Saturday to face the Orlando Magic at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Wisconsin. Orlando (22-53) snapped its four-game losing streak with a 97-84 victory in Minnesota on Friday.
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