MILWAUKEE (AP) – Michael Redd overcame a slow start to score 15 fourth-quarter points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to an 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

Redd, who sat out much of the first quarter with two fouls, made one of his first nine shots but finished with 21 points for the Bucks.

Redd’s layup gave Milwaukee a 76-72 lead with 2:53 remaining in the game, and his 3-pointer with 1:28 left extended the lead to seven.

Wally Szczerbiak converted two layups to get the Celtics within three and Paul Pierce hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 81-79 with 5.2 seconds left. But Boston wasn’t able to foul the Bucks on the inbounds play, allowing Charlie Bell to end the game with a fast-break dunk.

Redd made up for his slow start – he scored only six points in the first three quarters – by opening the fourth with a jump shot and a 3-pointer to put the Bucks ahead 62-56, their biggest lead of the game to that point.

The Celtics lost momentum when Szczerbiak fouled the Bucks’ Dan Gadzuric with 9:02 remaining, and the Celtics’ Al Jefferson was called for a technical foul. Redd hit the technical free throw, and Gadzuric hit two foul shots to put the Bucks ahead 65-61.

Szczerbiak finished with 20 for Boston and Pierce added 18. Jefferson had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

The Celtics acquired Szczerbiak in a seven-player deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. Boston sent Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks and Justin Reed to the Timberwolves and acquired Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones in the trade.

Notes: Milwaukee won its second straight and improved to 9-0 against the Atlantic Division. … Boston has dropped two of its last three to fall to 18-26.

AP-ES-01-29-06 1916EST