Lowry, Raptors cruise past Bucks
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Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Lowry scored 23 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc to help lead the Toronto Raptors to a 116-94 drubbing over the Milwaukee Bucks from Air Canada Centre.
"He's been playing at an All-Star level," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry.
DeMar DeRozan netted 19 points and Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which has won three straight overall and five straight at home. The Raptors also snapped a five-game skid at home to the Bucks.
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Patrick Patterson and John Salmons scored 18 and 10 points off the bench, respectively, in the win.
Ersan Ilyasova poured in a game-high 29 points on an efficient 11-for-16 shooting for the Bucks, who are mired in a six-game losing streak.
"I thought he brought a physicality to the game, I thought he played hard," Bucks head coach Larry Drew said of Ilyasova.
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Brandon Knight scored 16 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 11 points with seven rebounds in the loss.
Luke Ridnour knocked down a 3-pointer with four minutes left in the first to tie the game at 19, and Toronto proceeded to outscore the Bucks 19-5 for the remainder of the frame to take a 38-24 lead.
Toronto was a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line during the opening 12 minutes.
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The Raptors pushed the lead to 19 following a Greivis Vasquez trey 1:59 into the second before Milwaukee started to work its way back into the game.
The Bucks switched their defense to a zone midway through the quarter and ended the final 5:01 on a 14-4 run to trail 58-50 at the break.
The lead was trimmed to seven before Toronto went on an 8-0 run early in the third that was capped with a jumper from Salmons on the near wing for a 71-56 advantage.
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Antetokounmpo gathered Knight's miss and converted the layup to end the short drought for Milwaukee.
Toronto led 88-73 going into the fourth quarter and the Raptors would soon thereafter break the game open.
Terrence Ross hit a pair of free throws to close a 13-2 run and help the Raptors to a 101-75 lead with 7:52 remaining.
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The lead swelled to 31 late in the fourth following a Steve Novak 3 and the Raptors coasted to the finish.
Game Notes
This is the first five-game home winning streak for Toronto since Dec. 14, 2012-Jan. 2, 2013 ... The Raptors shot at a 50.6 percent (40-for-79) clip from the field and 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from deep ... Toronto owned a slim advantage on the boards, outrebounding Milwaukee 46-40 ... Milwaukee's John Henson returned from a seven-game hiatus with a high-ankle sprain with eight points, five rebounds, and four blocks in 17 1/2 minutes of action ... The Bucks outscored Toronto in the paint 40-32 ... Ilyasova added nine rebounds.