MILWAUKEE – Jason Richardson scored 28 of his season-high 31 points in the second half and made nine 3-pointers to lead the Orlando Magic to a 99-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
The Bucks limited Dwight Howard to 11 points and 14 rebounds, but had no defense for Richardson, who unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers in the second half that helped Orlando erase a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and pull ahead. His ninth 3, and eighth out of nine attempts in the second half, gave Orlando a 94-88 lead with 2:07 to go. Richardson finished 9 for 11 from 3-point range.
The Bucks never got closer than three the rest of the way.
Drew Gooden scored 21 points and Ersan Ilyasova added 17 for the Bucks.
Beno Udrih came off the bench and had six points during a 13-0 run midway through the fourth quarter for Milwaukee. Gooden added two open jumpers, including one that went not only way above Howard, but also the shot clock on the backboard, before swishing through the net.
Udrih's 14-foot jumper gave Milwaukee its biggest lead at 88-78 with 5:45 left. But that was it for Milwaukee.
Howard came in averaging 20.9 points and an NBA-leading 15.4 rebounds, but was stymied by Gooden's defense.
Hedo Turkoglu had 19 points for Orlando, which beat the Bucks for the 11th time in 13 games.
Brandon Jennings, had 24 points and eight assists in the Bucks' 113-112 overtime win at Cleveland on Friday, a night after not being named a reserve for the All-Star game. He finished with seven points, five assists and five rebounds against the Magic.
The hometown crowd roared when Jennings' name was announced in the starting lineup. Bucks fans seemed willing, at least for now, to not be bothered by his comments that he's "doing my homework" on big-market teams — saying that during an interview with ESPN.com on Thursday. He's under contract through next season.
Richardson had 16 of his 19 points, including four 3s, in the third quarter to keep Orlando in the game.
Richardson's jumper with 18.7 seconds left pulled the Magic within six at 49-43 at halftime. Milwaukee shot 40.8 percent to Orlando's 39.4 percent. JJ Redick came off the bench to spark the Magic's offense with 12 points. Reserve Mike Dunleavy had 12 points for the Bucks, whose lead was never more than nine.
The Bucks tried to limit Howard's effectiveness with a help-out defense and strong rebounding.
Gooden guarded Howard with support. Whenever Orlando's All-Star center backed Gooden down in the paint, another Bucks player would swipe and poke at the ball. Howard had two turnovers, five points and five rebounds.
The Bucks grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and 16 defensive, while the Magic had 17, including 15 defensive boards.
Notes: After Saturday night's game, the Bucks and Magic play three more times in their next 10 games. ... Bucks G Shaun Livingston has attempted just two 3-pointers so far this season. He sank his first one — and eighth of his career — in the first quarter.
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