Milwaukee, WI – Monta Ellis finished with 21 points and 11 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks took care of the Orlando Magic with a 107-98 victory on Saturday.
Brandon Jennings followed with 20 points and Larry Sanders filled the stat sheet with 17 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks to help the Bucks end a two- game skid.
"We just closed the game out, we made shots when we needed to make them," said Ellis. "We knew what we had to do, we needed this win and we just buckled down and made shots."
Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points and eight boards in the victory.
The decimated Magic added Jameer Nelson (forearm) to their injured list prior to the team's ninth straight loss. Nikola Vucevic finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Maurice Harkless tallied 19 points and 14 boards in the setback.
"I think we did a good job today of competing," said Harkless, who registered career-highs in points and rebounds. "Unfortunately we didn't come out with the win, but we showed what we can do,"
Magic leading scorer Arron Afflalo missed his fourth straight game with a strained calf.
Milwaukee held a comfortable advantage most of the first half, but Kyle O'Quinn's hook shot late in the second capped a 12-4 Magic flurry, which helped reduce their deficit to 52-48 by halftime.
After JJ Redick's reverse layup gave Orlando its first lead since the early moments of the game, the teams traded baskets for the next three minutes until Milwaukee regained control with a 17-4 run.
Sanders had a pair of scores inside early in the surge before Jennings followed with back-to-back jumpers. Ilyasova then buried a triple and Ellis' layup put the Bucks on top 77-65 with 2:13 to play in the third.
A pair of Vucevic scores around a bucket from Harkless helped cut the Magic's deficit to 87-80, but Mike Dunleavy's ensuing 3-pointer was the beginning of nine unanswered points for the Bucks, bringing their advantage up to 16.
The Magic had one more run in them, as Redick's triple with 33 seconds to go capped a 10-0 push to bring the Magic within five, but they never came any closer, as the Bucks made all six of their free throw attempts down the stretch.
Game Notes
The Bucks ended a seven-game losing streak to the Magic ... Sanders has recorded at least one block in 32 consecutive games ... Redick finished with 15 points and eight assists ... Dunleavy hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, tallying 11 points off the bench ... Orlando had 17 turnovers, which Milwaukee converted into 22 points.
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