Bucks 117, Hornets 113
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis each scored 22 points and were two of six Milwaukee players to score in double figures as the Bucks pulled away late for a 117-113 victory Saturday night over the New Orleans Hornets.
Complementing Jennings and Ellis, Mike Dunleavy came off the bench to score 17 points, Samuel Dalembert added 15 and both Tobias Harris and Ersan Ilyasova dropped in 10 as Milwaukee shot 46.2 percent from the field and went 13-for-25 on 3-pointers.
After three somewhat nail-biting quarters of basketball, Milwaukee finally created some separation early in the fourth, riding an 8-0 run, capped off by a Dunleavy 3-pointer followed by a Beno Udrih-to-Larry Sanders dunk, to go up 99-94 with 9:27 to play.
Down 110-102 with 2:39 to play, New Orleans cut into the Milwaukee lead on Anthony Davis' layup. He made it a five-point game by converting the free throw and the Hornets, after a defensive stop, pulled within 110-107 when Davis connected on a floater from the lane, drawing a foul from Dunleavy. Davis' free throw was good and, with two minutes left, it was a two-point game.
Ellis' falling jumper pushed Milwaukee back up four and Ryan Anderson's jumper bounced off the rim at the one-minute mark. The Bucks called a 20-second timeout with 41.9 seconds to play and, after missing a shot at their own end, Sanders stuffed Anderson's dunk attempt, effectively sealing the victory for Milwaukee.
Davis led New Orleans with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds and Anderson shot 8-for-15 from the field while adding 20 points. Greivis Vasquez and Roger Mason also finished in double digits in scoring, finishing with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Milwaukee went ahead 48-38 on Marquis Daniels' 3-pointer with 5:35 left in the first half but New Orleans came right back, rattling off nine straight points before a Dalembert layup ended the Bucks' scoreless drought.
Tied at 56-56 with just under a minute to play, Jason Smith connected on a jumper just off the top of the key to put the Hornets up by two. On the other end, Milwaukee missed on two close attempts but Al-Farouq Aminu was called for a charge on the ensuing possession, giving the Bucks the ball with 31 seconds to play.
The teams traded baskets before Dunleavy connected on a jumper with eight seconds left to tie it and, after attempting a steal on the defensive end, drew a foul from Smith and converted two free throws to give Milwaukee a 60-58 lead at the half.
NOTES: The Hornets' Anthony Davis and Darius Miller and the Bucks' Doron Lamb were college teammates at Kentucky. Davis was New Orleans' first-round pick (No. 1 overall) and Miller the Hornets' second-round selection (46th overall) while Milwaukee took Lamb in the second round (42nd overall) ... Milwaukee has scored 60 points in the first half in each of its last two games ... The Bucks and Clippers are the only teams this season to rank in the top 10 for assists, steals and blocks per game ... Despite the loss, New Orleans has won 11 of its last 13 meetings with Milwaukee.
