Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Rudy Gay led five players in double figures with 18 points to go with a game-best 15 rebounds, as the Toronto Raptors put an eight-game losing streak in Milwaukee to rest, thanks to a 97-90 decision over the Bucks at Bradley Center.
"I'm just trying not to be one-dimensional," Gay said.
DeMar DeRozan chipped in 17 points and Kyle Lowry contributed 14 for the Raptors, who have won two of three to start the year. Amir Johnson and Landry Fields each posted 11 points for the road victors.
O.J. Mayo tallied 16 points, dished out eight assists and pulled down six rebounds for the Bucks, who have dropped two of three. Ersan Ilyasova had 14 points and John Henson 13 in the loss.
"I really felt if we just hung around hopefully we could probably try to steal it, but we just didn't make the plays down the stretch," Bucks head coach Larry Drew said.
Milwaukee had won eight in a row at home vs. Toronto since a 91-87 loss on Nov. 1, 2008, and had also taken 10 straight overall against the Bucks since January of 2010, but another victory wasn't in the cards for the hosts.
Mayo's triple pulled the Bucks even at 85-85 with 5:53 left in regulation, but Lowry's bucket triggered a 10-3 surge, ending on a Johnson tip-in, which put Toronto in front by a 95-88 margin with 40 seconds remaining. DeRozan pumped in six points during the run, including four in a row.
Gay sank two from the line to extend the Raptors' margin to nine, with a Mayo bucket the hosts' only answer.
Lowry poured in eight points as Toronto emerged with a 25-19 lead after one quarter.
Nate Wolters' layup with 2:47 left before halftime capped a 13-7 burst and pulled the Bucks even at 41-41, and Mayo added a triple a short time later for a 44-44 deadlock, but the Raptors led 51-46 at the break thanks to a Lowry bucket.
Ilyasova's make with 6:29 to play in the third quarter brought Milwaukee to 57-55, but DeRozan and Gay went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to kick off a 14-4 run that left Toronto on top 71-59 with 2:54 to go before the fourth. DeRozan and Terrence Ross both connected from long distance to fuel the surge.
Game Notes
Toronto hosts Miami on Tuesday, while Milwaukee welcomes Cleveland on Wednesday ... Wolters ended with a game-high 10 assists ... The Bucks finished with five blocks ... Neither team shot well from beyond the arc, with the Raptors going 7-of-23 and the Bucks just 6-of-17.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.