Jrue Holiday insisted Wednesday night’s game against the Bucks was just like any other game, despite the fact that he was traded less than two months ago.

Joe Mazzulla expressed similar concerns. Despite the excitement of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams meeting, he wants the Celtics to handle every game the same. And, following a disappointing road trip that ended with an overtime loss to the Hornets, he was more concerned about his team’s development.

Even if they aren’t interested in making early-season declarations, the Celtics’ actions on Wednesday at TD Garden sent a message that they are the frontrunners in the East until proven differently.

In the first of what may be many games this season, the Celtics drew first blood in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. In a battle of new-look rosters, Boston’s appeared to be ahead of Milwaukee’s early in the season. The Celtics didn’t make it easy for themselves, as their late-game execution was poor once again, but propelled by a strong start, they held on for a 119-116 victory over the Bucks at a loud pre-Thanksgiving Garden.

In a fantastic bounce-back effort, Jaylen Brown scored 26 points – including some highlight-reel dunks – and added eight assists, Jayson Tatum had 23 points, and the bench came up huge in parts as the Celtics returned from Monday’s terrible loss in Charlotte. They limited Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to 21 points on 7-for-20 shooting and rookie Damian Lillard to 27 points on 24 attempts. The Bucks made a late run, but the C’s held their nerve in the last minute to secure a significant win.

The Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the first half thanks to a strong defensive effort and help from the bench, but they became careless in the second half. Turnovers increased. Kristaps Porzingis was called for a foul, and the Bucks only found their flow late in the game. The C’s lead by 16 with less than five minutes remaining and were on the verge of blowing it. With 44 seconds remaining, Lillard’s step-back 3-pointer trimmed Boston’s lead to 114-111.

On the next possession, Tatum was fouled while driving to the basket and scored one of two free throws to extend the Celtics’ advantage to four points. On the next Bucks possession, Lillard found a lane to the basket and attempted a slam, but it was blocked by Derrick White. Tatum grabbed the rebound and converted two free throws to secure the win.