Bucks 108, Nets 93
MILWAUKEE -- Brandon Jennings scored 25 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 1:29 to play, as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-93 Wednesday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Jennings hit nine of 15 shots, including three of four 3-point attempts, and he handed out six assists. Teammate Monta Ellis had a big night as well, scoring 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He hit all three of his 3-point attempts, and he also contributed seven rebounds, six assists and six steals.
As a team, the Bucks were hot from beyond the arc, connecting on 10 of 17 attempts. They shot 47.6 percent from the field overall.
Brooklyn lost to Milwaukee for the second time this season and the 14th consecutive time dating back to 2009. The Nets got 21 points and 10 rebounds from Brook Lopez, and an eight-point, 12-rebound game from Gerald Wallace.
After getting crushed at home by Boston on Christmas Day, the Nets put together a second consecutive sloppy game. They turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 27 Milwaukee points, shot 38 percent from the field and made just four of 21 3-pointers.
It didn't help that the Nets' point guard, Deron Williams, sat out for the first time this season in an effort to rest his sore right wrist.
The Nets trailed by 13 at halftime, but Lopez converted a three-point play with 7:56 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 60-52. However, Ellis hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key 10 seconds later, and after back-to-back buckets by Milwaukee's Ekpe Udoh, the Nets couldn't get any closer than nine points in the period. They trailed 78-67 heading into the fourth.
The Nets rallied again early in the final quarter, cutting Milwaukee's lead to 84-80 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Keith Bogans and Tyshawn Taylor.
Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova answered with a 3-pointer that made it 87-80 with 7:37 to play. After Lopez failed to convert a three-point play, Ellis and Dunleavy hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Milwaukee an 11-point lead with 5:43 left.
Ellis buried another 3 with 1:52 left, putting Milwaukee up 102-89.
NOTES: Beno Udrih returned to the Bucks after missing the previous 12 games with a sprained ankle, and he scored four points in 16 minutes. Udrih was averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 assists before suffering the injury Nov. 30 at Minnesota. ... The Nets held their opponent to a shooting percentage below 50 percent for the 10th consecutive time. ... In his previous two games, Ellis averaged 32.5 points. ... The New Jersey/Brooklyn franchise last beat the Bucks on March 3, 2009. ... Lopez, who missed the first meeting between the teams Dec. 9, blocked three shots. He has recorded multiple blocks in 15 of his past 21 games. His average of 2.35 blocks per game was the sixth-highest mark in the NBA entering play Wednesday. Milwaukee's Larry Sanders was the leader at 3.08 per game.
