MILWAUKEE (2010 FIBA World Championship for Men) - Australian big man Andrew Bogut had game-highs of 25 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks to lead the surging Milwaukee Bucks past the Boston Celtics 86-84 on Tuesday night.

After the game, Boston head coach Doc Rivers made no secret of the fact that his team's inability to stop Bogut is what cost them the game.

"He killed us. I thought he set the table for them all night," he said. "They kept getting the ball to him. I thought he was the difference."

The win was the Bucks' 16th in the last 20 games. In fact, this result saw Scott Skiles' charges match their win total from last season (34).

Their current record of 34-29 has them lying in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Boomers starting centre recorded his 30th double-double of the season and this performance was just the latest example of the massive leap he has made in his fifth season.

Since former Team USA shooting guard Michael Redd was ruled out for the season in early January after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in as many years, Bogut has taken over as the team's undisputed leader.

The 25-year-old is averaging career-highs in most categories - points (16.2), rebounds (10.4) and blocks (2.5).

He also looks to have found a cure to the free-throw shooting woes that have plagued him in the past, making a career-best 66.0 percent from the charity stripe - almost nine percentage points higher than last season.

Other players that could be headed to the FIBA World Championship were in action on Tuesday.

Team USA

• Kobe Bryant hit a 17-foot jumper with 1.9 seconds remaining to help the Los Angeles Lakers snap a three-game losing streak with a 109-107 win over the Toronto Raptors. He finished with 32 points, six rebounds and six assists.
• Big man Dwight Howard had 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando Magic crushed the Los Angeles Clippers 113-87.
• Deron Williams scored 28 points and handed out 17 assists - both game-highs - as the visiting Utah Jazz hammered the Chicago Bulls 132-108.
• Williams' Jazz teammate Carlos Boozer had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the lopsided win over the Bulls.
• Superstar guard Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 27 points but it wasn't enough as the Miami Heat fell to the Charlotte Bobcats 83-78.
• Brandon Roy had a game-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists in leading the Portland Trail Blazers to an 88-81 win over the Sacramento Kings.
• Chris Bosh had 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Raptors' defeat at the hands of the Lakers.
• Derrick Rose recorded team-highs of 25 points and 13 assists in the Bulls home defeat against the Jazz.

Spain

• Paul Gasol had 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds in the Lakers' win over Toronto.
• Jose Calderon scored 10 points and dished out five assists in the Raptors' loss against LA.
• Rudy Fernandez had five points and three rebounds off the bench in Portland's win over Sacramento.

Turkey

• Centre Mehmet Okur had 14 points and grabbed seven boards in Utah's win over Chicago.
• Ersan Ilyasova contributed nine points and four rebounds before fouling out in the Bucks' win over the Celtics.
• Hedo Turkoglu had six points, five rebounds and five assists in Toronto's defeat at the hands of the reigning NBA champions Lakers.

Argentina

• Luis Scola had game-highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds and led the Houston Rockets to a 96-88 road win against the Washington Wizards.
• Carlos Delfino shook off flu-like symptoms to lend Bogut a helping hand in their defeat of the Celtics. The swingman had 19 points, eights rebounds, two steals, two assists and connected on five of eight three-point attempts.

France

• Athletic swingman Nicolas Batum had 14 points in Portland's win over Sacramento.
• Forward Boris Diaw displayed the versatility that makes him invaluable to France with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in Charlotte's win over Miami.

Russia

• Andrei Kirilkenko had 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in Utah's route of Chicago.

Canada

• Samuel Dalembert, the 6ft 11in centre, had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in the Philadelphia 76ers' 10-7-96 defeat against the Indiana Pacers.

Germany

• Chris Kaman had 12 points and six rebounds in the LA Clippers' loss to the Orlando Magic.

Puerto Rico

• Playmaker Carlos Arroyo had two points and five assists in the Heat's defeat against the Bobcats.

Slovenia

• Guard Beno Udrih had 13 points, three assists and three rebounds in the Kings' loss against the Blazers.

FIBA