Thomas Scores 27, Celtics Beat Bucks 112-107

BOSTON -- Leading wire-to-wire, the Boston Celtics held off a fourth-quarter Milwaukee charge and captured their ninth consecutive home game, a 112-107 win over the Bucks on Thursday night.

The Celtics, coming off a 1-2 road trip that gave them three losses in five games, opened a five-game homestand and continued their longest home winning streak since an 11-gamer in 2012-13.

Boston (34-25) led by 18 with 4:24 left in the third quarter and by 15 entering the fourth. However, the Bucks (24-34) rode center Greg Monroe and forward Jabari Parker back into the game, cutting their deficit to five with 6:15 remaining and then to four with 1:12 on the clock.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens ended Isaiah Thomas' rest midway through the fourth, and the little point guard scored seven points in 1:35 to get the lead back up to 11. Fellow guard Avery Bradley and Thomas hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

Milwaukee came right back and cut it six. The game got sloppy, and a fastbreak dunk by guard Khris Middleton made it 106-102 with 1:12 remaining. Thomas then made an over-the-head blind pass to set forward Joe Crowder's 3-pointer that iced it with 50.6 seconds left.

The Celtics started the game 2-for-19 from 3-point range but nailed three of their last four with the game on the line.

The Bucks absorbed their second loss in six games.

Thomas led all scorers with 27 points and added seven assists, while Bradley scored 18. Crowder, coming off a career-high 27 points in a loss at Minnesota, had 20 points and eight rebounds. Forward Jared Sullinger delivered 14 points and 10 rebounds, and forward Amir Johnson had 15 points and eight boards. Forward Jonas Jerebko had eight rebounds off the Boston bench.

Johnson, who has been bothered by back trouble, had totaled 10 points and seven rebounds in the previous four games.

Parker led the Bucks with 22 points, 10 in the fourth quarter. Middleton scored 21, Monroe had 11 of his 20 in the fourth quarter, and swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo (coming off his first career triple-double) added 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Guard Michael Carter-Williams had 12 points off the bench for the Bucks.

The Celtics missed all nine of their 3-point shots in the first half, but they hit 16 of their first 20 2-pointers to take control of the game. They led by 10 at the end of the first quarter and had the lead up to 17 with 7:23 left in the first half.

The Bucks scored nine consecutive points en route to a 14-2 run that got them back in the game, down by five. Boston pushed the margin back up to 11, and the home team led by 10 at the break.

NOTES: The Celtics are reportedly one of several playoff contenders interested in signing F Joe Johnson when he clears waivers on Saturday. Johnson, waived by the Brooklyn Nets, started his career (as the 10th pick in the draft) in Boston but played in only 48 games before he was traded. Boston coach Brad Stevens couldn't talk specifically about Johnson, still under contract to the Nets, but did hint that he would the team's 15th roster spot to go to a player like the 6-foot-7 Johnson. "The biggest thing is, any time you're talking about winning in this league right now, versatility is huge," Stevens said. "Certainly, shooting is a big deal. All those things come into play." ... Milwaukee G Michael Carter-Williams, who is from nearby Hamilton, Mass., came in 3-0 in professional games in Boston. ... The Celtics opened a five-game homestand. The Bucks begin a stretch of five games at home against Detroit on Saturday night.