Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Ersan Ilyasova scored 20 points off the bench and seven Bucks reached double figures in Milwaukee's 117-113 win over the New York Knicks.
Brandon Knight and Zaza Pachulia had 14 points apiece to help Milwaukee win for the fourth time in its last five games. Pachulia also grabbed a team- high 13 rebounds starting in place of Larry Sanders, who was a late scratch with a bruised thigh.
Carmelo Anthony scored 26 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 24 to pace New York, while Iman Shumpert donated 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The two teams played to a 30-30 tie after one quarter, but Milwaukee built a 17-point lead after dominating the second. The Bucks shot 15-for-23 in the period and 4-for-6 from behind the arc while controlling the glass, winning the rebounding margin 15-4.
It was 66-49 at halftime.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored all 13 of his points in the third to help the hosts maintain some distance heading into the fourth, but the Knicks rallied and made things interesting late despite falling into a 22-point hole early in the final period.
Ilyasova scored five of seven points during a quick flurry to start the fourth and extend Milwaukee's lead to 102-80.
The Bucks then withstood a furious push that Amar'e Stoudemire started with two quick buckets before Anthony canned a deep 3-pointer.
"The pressure is on the team that has the lead," said Bucks coach Jason Kidd. "We're going to be in a lot of situations like this to learn from."
The margin was 12 late when Hardaway's layup sparked an 8-0 run to get New York within four. It shrunk to three after J.R. Smith's triple with 30.9 seconds left and two on Anthony's uncontested dunk at 12.9.
Jerryd Bayless, who split a pair on the previous possession, made two free throws to push the spread back to four, but again Anthony coasted in for a free dunk.
Milwaukee maintained possession after a length video review, and Bayless sealed the game with two more from the stripe.
"We didn't take another step forward, we just kind of stayed the same," Knicks head coach Derek Fisher said. "We have to find a way to take advantage of opportunities to get better every time we're out there."
Game Notes
Both teams had 30 assists ... The Knicks made 11-of-25 from the arc ... The Bucks improved to 4-1 at home. They only had 10 home wins a season ago ... There were 11 lead changes and 10 ties.
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