Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Jared Dudley scored 18 points with six rebounds to power the Milwaukee Bucks in a 95-88 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
O.J. Mayo finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, John Henson supplied 14 points, eight boards and four blocks while Brandon Knight and Jerryd Bayless each netted 11 in the Bucks' third straight win.
"(We were) able to come with that energy and effort against a very talented team in Portland," Milwaukee head coach Jason Kidd said.
Wesley Matthews and Damian Lillard each scored 19 points apiece for Portland, which has lost three in a row.
"They kind of set the tone with their defense from the start," Bucks head coach Terry Stotts said. "We were playing from behind most of the night."
In the third quarter, Henson's hook shot started a string of six straight points to give the Bucks some breathing room midway through the frame. Mayo's trey coupled with a pair of Bayless jumpers at the end of the period gave Milwaukee a 76-65 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Mayo opened the fourth with a layup and a 3-pointer to increase Milwaukee's lead to 16 points. Bayless and Dudley each hit triples and jumpers during a 10-2 run to make it a 91-71 contest with 7:16 to play.
The Bucks led comfortably the rest of the way.
Dudley supplied two 3-pointers during a 13-2 run during the first quarter and the Bucks led 27-15 after 12 minutes of play.
Milwaukee stretched its lead to 15 on Johnny O'Bryant's layup with 5:06 left in the first half, but the Trail Blazers roared back to tie the game on a 17-2 run.
LaMarcus Aldridge supplied six points during the swing and his jumper tied the game at 42-42 with 28.9 seconds to play and Knight's three-point play gave the Bucks a slim margin at halftime.
Game Notes
Milwaukee has won three consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 25-28 ... The Trail Blazers have lost six straight on the road, last winning 106-94 against the Lakers at Staples Center on Jan. 11 ... Milwaukee shot 45.1 percent from the field, while Portland shot 37.1 percent.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.