Jrue Holiday insisted Wednesday night’s showdown with the Bucks was just any other game, even though they just traded him less than two months ago.

Joe Mazzulla echoed those sentiments. Though he recognized the hype of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams squaring off, he wants the Celtics to treat every game the same. And after a lackluster end to their road trip that concluded with an awful overtime loss to the Hornets, he was more worried about his team growing.

But even if they’re not interested in making any early-season statements, the Celtics sent a message with their actions on Wednesday at TD Garden, and it’s that they’re the frontrunners in the East until proven otherwise.

In a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview, in the first of what could be many matchups this season, the Celtics drew first blood. In a battle of new-look rosters, Boston’s roster showed to be ahead of Milwaukee’s in the early stages of the season. The Celtics did not make things easy on themselves, as their late-game execution was shaky again, but fueled by a dominant start, they held on for a 119-116 Bucks at a boisterous pre-Thanksgiving Garden.

Jaylen Brown scored 26 points – which included some highlight-reel dunks – and added eight assists in a terrific bounce-back effort, Jayson Tatum had 23 points and the bench came up big in stretches as the Celtics responded from Monday’s bad defeat in Charlotte. They held Bucks star Giannis Antetekounmpo to 21 points on 7-for-20 shooting, and newcomer Damian Lillard to 27 points on 24 shots. The Bucks made a late surge, but the C’s kept their composure in the final minute to claim a big victory.

The Celtics led by as many as 21 in the first half with help from the bench and a big defensive effort, but they turned sloppy in the second half. Turnovers mounted. Kristaps Porzingis got into foul trouble and the Bucks found their groove late. The C’s led by 16 with less than five minutes remaining and nearly coughed it up. Lillard’s step-back 3-pointer with 44 seconds to go suddenly cut Boston’s lead to 114-111.

Tatum was fouled driving to the rim on the next possession and hit one of two free throws to push the Celtics’ lead to four. On the next Bucks possession, Lillard found a lane to the rim and attempted a dunk but missed thanks to some pressure from Derrick White. Tatum corralled the rebound and made two free throws to seal the victory.