MILWAUKEE — After a flurry of recent trades, the Celtics have been quiet for nearly a month.
For the players, that has provided an opportunity to learn how to play together, to develop stability and cohesiveness.
Guard Marcus Thornton said the rhythm has been helpful for the Celtics, who had a three-game winning streak snapped in Saturday night’s 96-93 loss to the Bucks. But he cautioned that the atmosphere can change quickly.
“It’s still not over with yet. Feb. 19 is a long time from now,” Thornton said, referring to the NBA’s trade deadline. “So we’ll see how that goes, too.
“For the time being, everybody’s just playing. Off the court, we’re great with each other, too. So that helps.”
Thornton, who has an $8.6 million expiring contract that could make him an attractive trade piece, was asked about his current situation.
“I would like to stay here,” said Thornton, who had 14 points in 20 minutes against the Bucks. “I mean, who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going. But like I said, it’s not controllable. I can’t control it, so whatever happens, happens.”
Sullinger delivers
Jared Sullinger has 17 assists over his previous three games, the most during any three-game stretch of his three-year career.
He dished out a career-high seven assists in Boston’s 107-96 victory over the 76ers on Friday night. He had just two assists against the Bucks.
Coach Brad Stevens said the team decided early that it needed to utilize the passing abilities of Sullinger and fellow big man Kelly Olynyk.
“I think he sees the floor well,” Stevens said of Sullinger. “I think he has a pretty good understanding of what’s going on, and that contributes to then delivering the ball.”
The Bucks are in the midst of a stunning turnaround. One year after going 15-67, the Bucks entered Saturday’s game with a 27-23 record. Stevens was asked if this surge could serve as a kind of blueprint for the Celtics, a way to show them that it could be possible in Boston, too.
“I’d have to know a little bit more about how we look a year from now or how we look six months from now in regards to personnel,” Stevens said. “We’ve changed quite a bit in the last 15 months. We’ve changed quite a bit in the last three weeks.”
Schedule slows
Saturday night’s loss wrapped up the Celtics’ second four-games-in-five-days stretch since Jan. 22, their busiest 17-day segment of the season. While there is still one game until the All-Star break, Boston will now have a chance to regroup. It will not play again until it faces the Hawks at TD Garden on Wednesday. Then the Celtics will be off until their Feb. 20 game at Sacramento, which comes one day after the trade deadline . . . Stevens did not have an update on Olynyk (ankle), but he is not expecting him to return until after the break. Olynyk has been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend, and Stevens said that if Olynyk is healthy enough to play a regular-season game on Friday, he would play in the exhibition in New York. “If he doesn’t play Wednesday, I’d say it’s unlikely,” Stevens said. “But I wouldn’t count it out.” . . . The Celtics are just 2-10 in weekend games this season.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam. himmelsbach@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.