Ersan Ilyasova scored 26 points, including a critical putback in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 119-114 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.

Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy added 25 points each for the Bucks, who were coming off a last-second loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday.

Amar’e Stoudemire had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost four straight and seven of their past 10. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points, while Jeremy Lin had 20 points and 13 assists, with four steals and five turnovers.

The game had some significance to the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Knicks came into the game holding on to the No. 8 playoff spot in the East, with the Bucks three games behind. Milwaukee’s win cuts the deficit to two.

Ilyasova was coming off a career-high 32 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Bulls, and has had double-digit points and rebounds in three of his past five games. Coming into Friday, Ilyasova was averaging 18.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game over his previous 11 games.

The Knicks hit their first 11 shots from the floor, racing out to a 28-18 lead _ including an impressive alley-oop pass from Lin to Landry Fields.

But the Bucks closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Dunleavy, who had 14 points in the first quarter. The Bucks led 36-34 going into the second quarter, but the Knicks came back for a 65-61 lead going into halftime.

But the Bucks erased that lead with a 16-7 run to start the third quarter, including 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Jennings and Carlos Delfino.

Milwaukee led 93-83 to begin the fourth, then got quick scores from Delfino and Larry Sanders to extend their lead to 97-83 early in the quarter.

With the Bucks already leading by 13, Lin gave the ball away to Jennings, who darted down the court, spun around Baron Davis and sank an acrobatic layup to put Milwaukee up 108-93 with 7:28 left.

But the Knicks got back in the game with a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to 108-103 on a baseline spin move and layup by Davis with 5:34 left.

After a timeout, the Knicks extended the run to 12-0 and cut the lead to three on an alley-oop slam dunk from Davis to Fields.

Delfino then hit a 3-pointer for Milwaukee to stop the run.

Later trailing by five, Lin hit a long jumper and Davis drove for a layup to cut the lead to one with 2:45 left.

A foul sent Ilyasova to the line, and hit both free throws to put the Bucks up by three. Anthony drove for a layup on the other end, cutting the lead back to one with 52.7 seconds left.

Lin then hounded Jennings into throwing up a wild shot with the shot clock running down _ but Ilyasova was there for the putback, giving the Bucks a 116-113 lead with 28.7 seconds left.

Stoudemire then tried to drive for a layup, but was called for traveling.

The Bucks then were called for a five-second violation on the inbounds play, and Anthony tried to drive for a dunk and missed. A foul call on Drew Gooden sent Anthony to the line _ enraging Bucks coach Scott Skiles _ but Anthony missed the first and hit the second to cut the lead to two with 10.8 seconds left.

The Bucks got the ball in this time, and Jennings was fouled. He hit both free throws to put Milwaukee ahead by four with 9.7 left.

Notes: Knicks guard J.R. Smith brushed off attention he received after posting a photo of a scantily clad woman on his Twitter account. “I get a lot of criticism for everything, so I’m not really worried about it,” he said. … The Bucks got back defensive stopper Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who had missed two games with a sore right knee. But Mbah a Moute had to leave the game after playing only 7:39 because his knee flared up again. … Bucks guard Shaun Livingston left the game with a left ankle injury.

MILWAUKEE — Ersan Ilyasova scored 26 points, including a critical putback in the final minute, and the Milwaukee Bucks held on for a 119-114 victory over the Knicks tonight.

Brandon Jennings and Mike Dunleavy added 25 points each for the Bucks, who were coming off a last-second loss at home to Chicago on Wednesday.

Amar’e Stoudemire had 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost four straight and seven of their past 10. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points, while Jeremy Lin had 20 points and 13 assists, with four steals and five turnovers.

The game had some significance to the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Knicks came into the game holding on to the No. 8 playoff spot in the East, with the Bucks three games behind. Milwaukee’s win cuts the deficit to two.

Ilyasova was coming off a career-high 32 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Bulls, and has had double-digit points and rebounds in three of his past five games. Coming into Friday, Ilyasova was averaging 18.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game over his previous 11 games.

The Knicks hit their first 11 shots from the floor, racing out to a 28-18 lead — including an impressive alley-oop pass from Lin to Landry Fields.

But the Bucks closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Dunleavy, who had 14 points in the first quarter. The Bucks led 36-34 going into the second quarter, but the Knicks came back for a 65-61 lead going into halftime.

But the Bucks erased that lead with a 16-7 run to start the third quarter, including 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Jennings and Carlos Delfino.

Milwaukee led 93-83 to begin the fourth, then got quick scores from Delfino and Larry Sanders to extend their lead to 97-83 early in the quarter.

With the Bucks already leading by 13, Lin gave the ball away to Jennings, who darted down the court, spun around Baron Davis and sank an acrobatic layup to put Milwaukee up 108-93 with 7:28 left.

But the Knicks got back in the game with a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to 108-103 on a baseline spin move and layup by Davis with 5:34 left.

After a timeout, the Knicks extended the run to 12-0 and cut the lead to three on an alley-oop slam dunk from Davis to Fields.

Delfino then hit a 3-pointer for Milwaukee to stop the run.

Later trailing by five, Lin hit a long jumper and Davis drove for a layup to cut the lead to one with 2:45 left.

A foul sent Ilyasova to the line, and hit both free throws to put the Bucks up by three. Anthony drove for a layup on the other end, cutting the lead back to one with 52.7 seconds left.

Lin then hounded Jennings into throwing up a wild shot with the shot clock running down — but Ilyasova was there for the putback, giving the Bucks a 116-113 lead with 28.7 seconds left.

Stoudemire then tried to drive for a layup, but was called for traveling.

The Bucks then were called for a five-second violation on the inbounds play, and Anthony tried to drive for a dunk and missed. A foul call on Drew Gooden sent Anthony to the line — enraging Bucks coach Scott Skiles — but Anthony missed the first and hit the second to cut the lead to two with 10.8 seconds left.

The Bucks got the ball in this time, and Jennings was fouled. He hit both free throws to put Milwaukee ahead by four with 9.7 left.

BOX SCORE

CBSSports.com wire reports
March 7, 2012

MILWAUKEE — Derrick Rose faked like he was going to drive to the basket again, creating just enough of a cushion on defender Brandon Jennings. Then he slid to his left in a split second, drilling a winning shot at the buzzer.

The reigning league MVP sure knows how to thrill a stadium filled with Bulls fans — even when he isn’t playing at home.

Rose’s off-balance shot just inside the 3-point line capped a 30-point night that powered the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

“It was like a kid, all the things that you dream about,” Rose said. “It felt good. You’re on the road, going against a team that’s giving you their all and you hit a nice shot like that.”

Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt as a predominantly pro-Bulls crowd roared in approval, bursting out in chants of “M-V-P!”

Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.

“It was like a movie,” Noah said. “Hit the shot, no time left on the clock, you hear the horn, the ball goes through the net. It must be an unbelievable feeling to hit a shot like that.”

Jennings noted that Rose wasn’t having a particularly good night shooting from outside, so the Bucks were expecting him to drive.

“I tried to make him take as difficult a shot as he could,” Jennings said. “I was playing him to go to the basket, of course. He hit a step-back jump shot with a hand in his face. Hey, man, you go ahead and take that one.”

Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Rose made an incredibly tough shot look easy.

“What a luxury to have, you don’t even need to run a play,” Skiles said. “You can just bring it in, throw it to a guy and he can get whatever shot he wants.”

Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.

The Bulls held Jennings to 11 points on 4 for 18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.

With the Bulls often double-teaming Jennings on defense, especially early, Gooden was left open for several outside shots — and he cashed in, scoring 16 first-half points to keep the Bucks in the game.

“I mean, it was a little difficult,” Jennings said. “But like I said, Drew was hitting shots, Ersan was playing big for us.”

Once again, the Bradley Center was taken over by Bulls fans — although Chicago’s home-away-from-home-court advantage wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was in the Bulls’ Feb. 4 victory at Milwaukee, a Saturday night game that drew a huge crowd comprised mostly of Bulls fans.

Still, the Bucks received a jarring greeting when they took the floor before Wednesday’s game — mostly boos — and the crowd was decidedly pro-Bulls most of the game. When Milwaukee’s Mike Dunleavy Jr. missed badly in the second quarter, he was subjected to “Airball!” chants.

It left the Bucks in the odd position of having to talk about tuning out the crowd at home.

“It hurts a lot that we lost this one, just the fact that we played so hard for 48 minutes,” Jennings said. “Guys were down there battling. We didn’t let the crowd get to us at all.”

The crowd apparently did get his attention before the game.

“I told the guys before the game, we’re just going to tune that out and play basketball,” Jennings said.

The Bulls have won all four meetings with the Bucks this season.

With the Bulls up by two, Rose lost the ball out of bounds and officials initially ruled it went off a Bucks player. After a replay review, the call was reversed and the ball went to the Bucks with 55.2 seconds left.

Milwaukee’s Beno Udrih then drove for a layup, tying the game with 42.9 seconds left.

Rose drove on Jennings, then tried to hit a turnaround jumper — and drew a foul on Jennings and hit both shots for a 104-102 lead with 32.5 left.

Ilyasova scored inside, tying the game again with 24 seconds left and setting the stage for Rose’s last-second shot.

“It was a great play by him,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He took the clock down, he didn’t leave any time because it was one of those games where whoever had the ball, you thought they were going to score next.”

Notes

• The Bulls were without guards Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson because of injuries. Hamilton has a right shoulder injury, while Watson has a left ankle sprain.
• The Bucks were without defensive ace Luc Richard Mbah a Moute because of a right knee injury, and Udrih played despite left knee soreness.
• Stephen Jackson continues to sit out with hamstring soreness, and no timeline has been established for his return.

MILWAUKEE — Derrick Rose drilled a long jumper at the buzzer, powering the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Holding the ball for the last shot in a tie game, Rose pulled up just inside the 3-point line and hit it just as time expired. Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt, and cheered wildly by a predominantly pro-Bulls crowd.

Rose scored 30 and Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.

Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.

The Bulls held Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings to 11 points on 4 for 18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.

The Bulls have won all four meetings with the Bucks this season.

With the game tied at 95, Noah scored on a tip-in. Jennings missed on the other end and Rose got out on the fast break, beating a pair of defenders for an acrobatic layup and a 99-95 lead with 2:33 left.

Gooden hit a jumper to cut the lead back to two, but Luol Deng hit a 3-pointer.

Milwaukee’s Beno Udrih got to the line, but hit only one of two free throws to cut the lead to four. After a Rose miss, another foul sent Udrih back to the line and he hit both to cut the lead to two.

Rose then lost the ball out of bounds, and officials initially ruled it went off a Bucks player. After a replay review, the call was reversed and the ball went to the Bucks with 55.2 seconds left.

Udrih then drove for a layup, tying the game with 42.9 seconds left.

Rose drove on Jennings, then tried to hit a turnaround jumper — and drew a foul on Jennings and hit both shots for a 104-102 lead with 32.5 left.

Ilyasova scored on a putback, tying the game again with 24 seconds left and setting the stage for Rose’s last-second shot.

Once again, the Bradley Center was taken over by Bulls fans — although Chicago’s home-away-from-home-court advantage wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was in the Bulls’ Feb. 4 victory at Milwaukee, a Saturday night game that drew a sellout crowd comprised mostly of Bulls fans.

Still, the Bucks received a jarring greeting when they took the floor before the game — mostly boos — and the crowd was decidedly pro-Bulls most of the game. When Milwaukee’s Mike Dunleavy Jr. missed badly in the second quarter, he was subjected to “Airball!” chants.

The Bulls led 55-50 at halftime, limiting Jennings to two points on 0-for-5 shooting in the first half. With the Bulls often double-teaming Jennings on defense, Gooden was left open for several outside shots — and he cashed in, scoring 16 first-half points to keep the Bucks in the game.

Rose had 14 points in the first half.

Jennings finally hit his first field goal, a driving layup, with 5:06 left in the third quarter. After an alley-oop dunk by Larry Sanders from Udrih, the Bucks went into the fourth quarter tied at 73.

Game notes
The Bulls were without guards Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson because of injuries. Hamilton has a right shoulder injury, while Watson has a left ankle sprain. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game that both injuries are being evaluated on a day-to-day basis. … The Bucks were without defensive ace Luc Richard Mbah a Moute because of a right knee injury, and Udrih played despite left knee soreness. Stephen Jackson continues to sit out with hamstring soreness, and no timeline has been established for his return.

MILWAUKEE (AP)

Derrick Rose faked like he was going to drive to the basket again, creating just enough of a cushion on defender Brandon Jennings. Then he slid to his left in a split second, drilling a winning shot at the buzzer.

The reigning league MVP sure knows how to thrill a stadium filled with Bulls fans – even when he isn’t playing at home.

Rose’s off-balance shot just inside the 3-point line capped a 30-point night that powered the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

”It was like a kid, all the things that you dream about,” Rose said. ”It felt good. You’re on the road, going against a team that’s giving you their all and you hit a nice shot like that.”

Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt as a predominantly pro-Bulls crowd roared in approval, bursting out in chants of ”M-V-P!”

Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.

”It was like a movie,” Noah said. ”Hit the shot, no time left on the clock, you hear the horn, the ball goes through the net. It must be an unbelievable feeling to hit a shot like that.”

Jennings noted that Rose wasn’t having a particularly good night shooting from outside, so the Bucks were expecting him to drive.

”I tried to make him take as difficult a shot as he could,” Jennings said. ”I was playing him to go to the basket, of course. He hit a step-back jump shot with a hand in his face. Hey, man, you go ahead and take that one.”

Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Rose made an incredibly tough shot look easy.

”What a luxury to have, you don’t even need to run a play,” Skiles said. ”You can just bring it in, throw it to a guy and he can get whatever shot he wants.”

Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.

The Bulls held Jennings to 11 points on 4 for 18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.

With the Bulls often double-teaming Jennings on defense, especially early, Gooden was left open for several outside shots – and he cashed in, scoring 16 first-half points to keep the Bucks in the game.

”I mean, it was a little difficult,” Jennings said. ”But like I said, Drew was hitting shots, Ersan was playing big for us.”

Once again, the Bradley Center was taken over by Bulls fans – although Chicago’s home-away-from-home-court advantage wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was in the Bulls’ Feb. 4 victory at Milwaukee, a Saturday night game that drew a huge crowd comprised mostly of Bulls fans.

Still, the Bucks received a jarring greeting when they took the floor before Wednesday’s game – mostly boos – and the crowd was decidedly pro-Bulls most of the game. When Milwaukee’s Mike Dunleavy Jr. missed badly in the second quarter, he was subjected to ”Airball!” chants.

It left the Bucks in the odd position of having to talk about tuning out the crowd at home.

”It hurts a lot that we lost this one, just the fact that we played so hard for 48 minutes,” Jennings said. ”Guys were down there battling. We didn’t let the crowd get to us at all.”

The crowd apparently did get his attention before the game.

”I told the guys before the game, we’re just going to tune that out and play basketball,” Jennings said.

The Bulls have won all four meetings with the Bucks this season.

With the Bulls up by two, Rose lost the ball out of bounds and officials initially ruled it went off a Bucks player. After a replay review, the call was reversed and the ball went to the Bucks with 55.2 seconds left.

Milwaukee’s Beno Udrih then drove for a layup, tying the game with 42.9 seconds left.

Rose drove on Jennings, then tried to hit a turnaround jumper – and drew a foul on Jennings and hit both shots for a 104-102 lead with 32.5 left.

Ilyasova scored inside, tying the game again with 24 seconds left and setting the stage for Rose’s last-second shot.

”It was a great play by him,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”He took the clock down, he didn’t leave any time because it was one of those games where whoever had the ball, you thought they were going to score next.”

Notes: The Bulls were without guards Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson because of injuries. Hamilton has a right shoulder injury, while Watson has a left ankle sprain. … The Bucks were without defensive ace Luc Richard Mbah a Moute because of a right knee injury, and Udrih played despite left knee soreness. Stephen Jackson continues to sit out with hamstring soreness, and no timeline has been established for his return.

MILWAUKEE — Derrick Rose drilled a long jumper at the buzzer, powering the Chicago Bulls to a 106-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Holding the ball for the last shot in a tie game, Rose pulled up just inside the 3-point line and hit it just as time expired. Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt, and cheered wildly by a predominantly pro-Bulls crowd.

Rose scored 30 and Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.

Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.

The Bulls held Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings to 11 points on 4 for 18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.

The Bulls have won all four meetings with the Bucks this season.

With the game tied at 95, Noah scored on a tip-in. Jennings missed on the other end and Rose got out on the fast break, beating a pair of defenders for an acrobatic layup and a 99-95 lead with 2:33 left.

Gooden hit a jumper to cut the lead back to two, but Luol Deng hit a 3-pointer.

Milwaukee’s Beno Udrih got to the line, but hit only one of two free throws to cut the lead to four. After a Rose miss, another foul sent Udrih back to the line and he hit both to cut the lead to two.

Rose then lost the ball out of bounds, and officials initially ruled it went off a Bucks player. After a replay review, the call was reversed and the ball went to the Bucks with 55.2 seconds left.

Udrih then drove for a layup, tying the game with 42.9 seconds left.

Rose drove on Jennings, then tried to hit a turnaround jumper — and drew a foul on Jennings and hit both shots for a 104-102 lead with 32.5 left.

Ilyasova scored on a putback, tying the game again with 24 seconds left and setting the stage for Rose’s last-second shot.

Once again, the Bradley Center was taken over by Bulls fans — although Chicago’s home-away-from-home-court advantage wasn’t quite as pronounced as it was in the Bulls’ Feb. 4 victory at Milwaukee, a Saturday night game that drew a sellout crowd comprised mostly of Bulls fans.

MILWAUKEE — Beno Udrih didn’t exactly stick around to savor the moment.

After hitting what turned out to be the game-winning shot, the Milwaukee Bucks’ backup guard quickly got dressed and quietly slipped out of the locker room. His big play would have to speak for him.

Udrih hit a go-ahead jumper with just under a minute left, and the Bucks held off a late comeback to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 97-93 on Monday night.

“I found him, he made the play,” Bucks center Drew Gooden said. “He knocked down the shot, and that was huge. That was huge for us.”

Brandon Jennings had 33 points and Gooden added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who have been stuck in a funk for a little more than a month. Since beating the Miami Heat on Feb. 1, Milwaukee had lost 12 of its last 16 games coming into Monday night’s game.

They finally got things back together Monday — and it all happened in front of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sat courtside.

“We were able to finally make some shots under five minutes, which is something we haven’t been able to do,” Jennings said.

Lou Williams had 26 points off the bench for the 76ers, who were coming off a narrow home loss to Chicago on Sunday and have lost eight of 10. Williams almost single-handedly brought the 76ers back in the game in the final minutes, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.

Williams said the 76ers have to find ways to win close games.

“I don’t know what to pinpoint,” Williams said. “I just know it’s happening.”

The 76ers shot 13 for 49 from the floor in the second half.

“I mean, come on,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “Who are you going to beat?”

Bucks coach Scott Skiles was pleased with the way his team defended after halftime.

“It’s not magic,” Skiles said. “There’s no magic dust that’s sprinkled on anybody. They put their foot down a little bit.”

The Bucks went on a 15-4 run at the end of the third quarter to erase an eight-point 76ers lead.

“I thought we had a chance to go up about 12 to 15 points on them,” Collins said of the third quarter. “We missed free throws, missed layups, turned the ball over.”

Milwaukee led 74-71 going into the fourth — then Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jennings hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the fourth, extending the lead to nine.

Dunleavy hit another 3-pointer later in the quarter, putting the Bucks up 87-76 and forcing Collins to call a timeout with 6:23 left. But the 76ers answered with a quick 8-2 run that included 3-pointers by Williams and Andre Iguodala, then a driving layup by Williams that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 89-84 with 4:35 left.

Philadelphia cut the lead to four after Iguodala hit one of two free throws, but Gooden scored inside for Milwaukee. After the 76ers came up empty on their next possession, Jennings hit a driving layup for a 93-85 lead with 2:31 left.

But Williams converted a three-point play for the 76ers, and Gooden threw a pass wildly out of bounds for the Bucks.

“It went in the eighth row,” Gooden said, laughing. “But we bounced back.”

Williams hit a jumper to cut the lead to three with 1:47 left.

After a Bucks miss, Williams was fouled on a three-point attempt by Jennings with the shot clock running down. Williams hit all three free throws to tie the game with 1:11 left.

Udrih hit an open 15-foot jumper for Milwaukee with 58.2 seconds left, and Williams missed on the other end. Gooden then missed a shot for the Bucks, and a kicked ball gave the ball to the 76ers with 23 seconds left.

Williams dribbled the ball for several seconds before driving the lane and missing, then committed a foul on the rebound to give the ball back to the Bucks.

Ersan Ilyasova hit a pair of free throws to put the game away.

“In the fourth quarter, we were able to get back in (the game),” Iguodala said. “We just didn’t get stops.”

NOTES: Fans chanted “MVP!” when Rodgers walked back to his seat after halftime, and he obliged the crowd with his trademark “title belt” celebration gesture during a fourth quarter timeout. It was shown on the scoreboard, drawing one of the biggest cheers of the night. … Jennings got off to a hot start, scoring 14 of the Bucks’ first 19 points. … The 2012 Miss America pageant winner, Laura Kaeppeler, sang the national anthem. She is a native of Wisconsin.

Beno Udrih hit a go-ahead jumper with just under a minute left, and the Milwaukee Bucks held off a late comeback to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 97-93 on Monday night.

Brandon Jennings had 33 points and Drew Gooden added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who have been stuck in a funk for a little more than a month. Since beating the Miami Heat on Feb. 1, Milwaukee had lost 12 of its last 16 games coming into Monday night’s game.

Lou Williams had 26 points for the 76ers, who were coming off a narrow home loss to Chicago on Sunday and have lost eight of 10.

Williams almost single-handedly brought the 76ers back in the game in the final minutes, but the 76ers couldn’t complete the comeback.

Jennings got off to a hot start, scoring 14 of the Bucks’ first 19 points. And while the 76ers appeared poised to take control at several points during the game, the Bucks went on a 15-4 run at the end of the third quarter to erase an eight-point 76ers lead.

Milwaukee led 74-71 going into the fourth quarter _ then Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jennings hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the fourth, extending the lead to nine.

Dunleavy hit another 3-pointer later in the quarter, putting the Bucks up 87-76 and forcing 76ers coach Doug Collins to call a timeout with 6:23 left.

But the 76ers answered with a quick 8-2 run that included 3-pointers by Williams and Andre Iguodala, then a driving layup by Williams that cut Milwaukee’s lead to 89-84 with 4:35 left.

Philadelphia cut the lead to four after Iguodala hit one of two free throws, but Gooden scored inside for Milwaukee. After the 76ers came up empty on their next possession, Jennings hit a driving layup for a 93-85 lead with 2:31 left.

But Williams converted a three-point play for the 76ers, and Gooden threw a pass wildly out of bounds for the Bucks. Williams hit a jumper to cut the lead to three with 1:47 left.

After a Bucks miss, Williams was fouled on a three-point attempt by Jennings with the shot clock running down. Williams hit all three free throws to tie the game with 1:11 left.

Udrih hit an open jumper for Milwaukee, and Williams missed on the other end. Gooden then missed a shot for the Bucks, and a kicked ball gave the ball to the 76ers with 23 seconds left.

Williams dribbled the ball for several seconds before driving the lane and missing, then committed a foul on the rebound to give the ball back to the Bucks.

Ersan Ilyasova hit a pair of free throws to put the game away.

NOTES: The Bucks were without defensive ace Luc Richard Mbah a Moute because of right knee soreness. Stephen Jackson continues to sit out with a hamstring injury. Bucks coach Scott Skiles gave a start to rookie forward Tobias Harris, hoping to find some combination of players that worked. … The 76ers shuffled their starting lineup, giving starts to center Nikola Vucevic and guard Evan Turner. Center Lavoy Allen, who had been staring in place of injured center Spencer Hawes, and guard Jodie Meeks came off the bench.

BOSTON – Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record his third triple-double of the season and lead the Boston Celtics to a 102-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Rondo had six rebounds and five assists in the third quarter, when the Celtics went on a 20-4 run to turn a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead. The Bucks cut it to two points in the final minute, but Kevin Garnett made four free throws in the last 15 seconds to clinch it.

Garnett scored 25 points with 10 rebounds, and Chris Wilcox came off the bench to grab 13 rebounds in 26 minutes for Boston, which returned to .500 with its second straight win.

Ersan Ilyasova had 25 points with 10 rebounds and Drew Gooden scored 23 for the Bucks.

Brandon Jennings had just six points to go with his eight assists, but he pulled up for a fast-break 3-pointer that made it 98-93 with 79 seconds to play.

Ilyasova hit a putback that cut it to 98-96 before Garnett sank a pair of free throws with 14.4 seconds left. The Celtics gave Jennings a layup but he missed it, and he also missed a 3-point attempt before Garnett grabbed the rebound and went back to the foul line for two more free throws.

Brandon Bass, making his second consecutive start because of Jermaine O’Neal’s wrist injury, scored 16 points with seven rebounds for Boston. Milwaukee led 60-55 with 8:34 left in the third quarter when the Celtics scored the next 12 points and 20 out of 24 to open an 11-point lead.

Both teams were playing for the second consecutive night following the All-Star break.

The Bucks were coming off a 119-118 victory over the Washington Wizards earned when Ilyasova tipped in Jennings’ miss with 2.2 seconds left. Boston, which took a five-game losing streak into the break, beat Cleveland on Tuesday to hold onto eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

For the second straight night, the Celtics faced their closest pursuer for the East’s final playoff berth.

Ilyasova had 10 points in the first quarter and Rondo had eight, when the teams finished tied 25-all. The Bucks took the lead with Larry Sanders’ tip-in on the first possession of the second quarter and led for the rest of the half, but Boston cut a nine-point deficit to four just before the break when Rondo drove for a layup and then Allen stole the ensuing inbounds pass to set up Keyon Dooling’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left.

NOTES: Garnett and Sanders exchanged words, drawing a double technical foul with 6:23 left in the second quarter. … Drew Gooden had 16 points and six assists and Jennings had seven assists at the half. … O’Neal missed his third straight game with a sprained left wrist. … Mike Dunleavy picked up a technical foul complaining after he was beaten for a rebound by Rondo down the stretch. … It was Rondo’s 16th career triple-double.

BOSTON (AP)—For the second time in two nights, the Boston Celtics played a
team trying to knock them out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

Both times, the aging former champions held onto their playoff position.

“I’m just glad we’re back to .500,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said
Wednesday after Boston beat the Milwaukee Bucks 102-96 for its second straight
win since entering the All-Star break on a five-game losing streak.

Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record his third
triple-double of the season, and Kevin Garnett scored 25 points with 10
rebounds. The victory over the ninth-place Bucks left the Celtics tied with the
New York Knicks for the last two playoff spots in the East.

It’s a bit of a comedown for the franchise that won its NBA-record 17th
title in 2008 and returned to the finals two years later. But in this
lockout-shortened season, Boston’s best chance may be to eke into the playoffs
well-rested and hope for an upset once it gets there.

“Hopefully we can get a good rhythm going here,” Celtics forward Paul
Pierce said. “And just kind of catch our stride in the second half of the
season.”

Ersan Ilyasova had 25 points with 10 rebounds and Drew Gooden scored 23 for
the Bucks, who are percentage points ahead of the Cavaliers in ninth place.
Brandon Jennings had just six points on 2-for-11 shooting to go with his eight
assists.

“It’s another game where one of the better point guards has gotten the
better of us,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. “That’s happened often this year
and that’s not all on Brandon. It’s on our defense and it’s on the guy that’s
guarding him.”

Jennings made back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 91 seconds to cut
Boston’s lead to 98-93 with 1:19 left. Milwaukee got within two points on
Ilyasova’s put-back layup, but Garnett sank four free throws in the final 15
seconds to clinch it.

The Bucks travel to Atlanta and Orlando on Friday and Saturday.

“We have to get it done,” Gooden said. “You know, it’s funny. We never
get blown out. We fight to the end, and it just kind of (upsets) us that we come
up short every time, almost.”

Rondo had six rebounds and five assists in the third quarter, when the
Celtics went on a 20-4 run to turn a five-point deficit into a double-digit
lead. Boston led by 17 in the fourth quarter and had a 98-83 edge with 3 minutes
left when the Bucks scored 10 straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers by
Jennings 12 seconds apart.

Skiles said Jennings seemed as though he didn’t want to take shots.

“That’s part of the growing process for me,” Jennings said. “Right now my
teammates are making shots. … I just felt like I didn’t have to do so much
because my teammates were making so many shots.”

Ilyasova hit a putback that cut it to 98-96 before Garnett sank a pair of
free throws with 14.4 seconds left. The Celtics gave Jennings a layup but he
missed it, and he also missed a 3-point attempt before Garnett grabbed the
rebound and went back to the foul line for two more free throws.

Chris Wilcox came off the bench to grab 13 rebounds in 26 minutes for
Boston.

Brandon Bass, making his second consecutive start because of Jermaine
O’Neal’s wrist injury, scored 16 points with seven rebounds for Boston.
Milwaukee led 60-55 with 8:34 left in the third quarter when the Celtics scored
the next 12 points and 20 out of 24 to open an 11-point lead.

Both teams were playing for the second consecutive night following the
All-Star break.

Boston beat Cleveland, then the ninth-place team in the East, on Tuesday to
hold onto eighth place in the East. The Bucks were coming off a 119-118 victory
over the Washington Wizards earned when Ilyasova tipped in Jennings’ miss with
2.2 seconds left.

Ilyasova had 10 points in the first quarter and Rondo had eight, when the
teams finished tied 25-all. The Bucks took the lead with Larry Sanders’ tip-in
on the first possession of the second quarter and led for the rest of the half,
but Boston cut a nine-point deficit to four just before the break when Rondo
drove for a layup and then Ray Allen stole the ensuing inbounds pass to set up
Keyon Dooling’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left.

Notes: Garnett and Sanders exchanged words, drawing a double technical foul
with 6:23 left in the second quarter. … Gooden had 16 points and six assists
and Jennings had seven assists at halftime. … O’Neal missed his third straight
game with a sprained left wrist. … Mike Dunleavy picked up a technical foul
complaining after he was beaten for a rebound by Rondo down the stretch. … It
was Rondo’s 16th career triple-double, and his 10th in the regular season.

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record his third triple-double of the season and lead the Boston Celtics to a 102-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Rondo had six rebounds and five assists in the third quarter, when the Celtics went on a 20-4 run to turn a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead. The Bucks cut it to two points in the final minute, but Kevin Garnett made four free throws in the last 15 seconds to clinch it.

Garnett scored 25 points with 10 rebounds, and Chris Wilcox came off the bench to grab 13 rebounds in 26 minutes for Boston, which returned to .500 with its second straight win.

Ersan Ilyasova had 25 points with 10 rebounds and Drew Gooden scored 23 for the Bucks.

Brandon Jennings had just six points to go with his eight assists, but he pulled up for a fast-break 3-pointer that made it 98-93 with 79 seconds to play.

Ilyasova hit a putback that cut it to 98-96 before Garnett sank a pair of free throws with 14.4 seconds left. The Celtics gave Jennings a layup but he missed it, and he also missed a 3-point attempt before Garnett grabbed the rebound and went back to the foul line for two more free throws.

Brandon Bass, making his second consecutive start because of Jermaine O’Neal’s wrist injury, scored 16 points with seven rebounds for Boston. Milwaukee led 60-55 with 8:34 left in the third quarter when the Celtics scored the next 12 points and 20 out of 24 to open an 11-point lead.

Both teams were playing for the second consecutive night following the All-Star break.

The Bucks were coming off a 119-118 victory over the Washington Wizards earned when Ilyasova tipped in Jennings’ miss with 2.2 seconds left. Boston, which took a five-game losing streak into the break, beat Cleveland on Tuesday to hold onto eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

For the second straight night, the Celtics faced their closest pursuer for the East’s final playoff berth.

Ilyasova had 10 points in the first quarter and Rondo had eight, when the teams finished tied 25-all. The Bucks took the lead with Larry Sanders’ tip-in on the first possession of the second quarter and led for the rest of the half, but Boston cut a nine-point deficit to four just before the break when Rondo drove for a layup and then Allen stole the ensuing inbounds pass to set up Keyon Dooling’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left.

Notes: Garnett and Sanders exchanged words, drawing a double technical foul with 6:23 left in the second quarter. … Drew Gooden had 16 points and six assists and Jennings had seven assists at the half. … O’Neal missed his third straight game with a sprained left wrist. … Mike Dunleavy picked up a technical foul complaining after he was beaten for a rebound by Rondo down the stretch. … It was Rondo’s 16th career triple-double.

MILWAUKEE – Ersan Ilyasova scored on a tip-in with 2.2 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington 119-118 on Tuesday night, handing the Wizards their fifth consecutive defeat.

Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 28 points for the Bucks, who snapped a six-game losing streak at home.

Brandon Jennings took an inbounds pass with 6.8 seconds left and drove left of the lane, attempting a short jumper. It bounced off the rim, but Ilyasova had position and tipped in the miss for the winning points.

John Wall then got an inbounds pass on the baseline for Washington but was called for traveling with 1 second to go without getting off a shot.

Wall gave the Wizards a 118-117 lead when he drove around Jennings and scored on a running, 8-foot jumper with 6.8 seconds remaining.

Jennings finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Drew Gooden, who returned after missing four games with a sprained right wrist, had 15 points and 10 rebounds but landed hard on his back in the third quarter and did not return.

Trevor Booker scored 20 points while Wall and Jordan Crawford added 19 apiece for Washington.

Milwaukee opened a 22-point lead in the first half, but Washington hit six 3-pointers in the third quarter to get back in the game.

Dunleavy made a pair of free throws with 1:21 left to give Milwaukee a 117-114 lead before Booker drove the lane and scored on a dunk to bring the Wizards within 117-116 with 1:05 to go.

Dunleavy and Jennings each missed 3-point attempts on the next possession, but Booker missed a tip on the other end.

Jennings drove to the basket but dribbled the ball off his foot with 12 seconds left, giving Washington a chance to win the game.

Wall scored to give the Wizards a brief lead before Ilyasova’s clutch tip-in.

Washington erased a 14-point halftime deficit and took an 81-79 lead when Maurice Evans stripped Carlos Delfino and sprinted to a breakaway layup with 4:16 to go in the third quarter.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a rebound with 1 second left to give Milwaukee a 92-89 lead after three quarters.

Milwaukee took its biggest lead, 55-33, on Dunleavy’s 3-pointer with 5:35 left in the second. The Bucks ran off 13 consecutive points in the 30-12 run to open a commanding cushion.

Dunleavy had 16 points in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, and Milwaukee took a 67-53 advantage into halftime.

NOTES: Gooden went to the locker room for a few minutes in the third quarter after being fouled by Chris Singleton. Gooden landed on his back with a loud thud and returned to the bench but not the game. … The 67 points scored by the Bucks in the first half were their most in a half this season, surpassing a 65-point first half in their first meeting with Washington on Dec. 30. … Rookie F Tobias Harris returned after missing three games with a bruised right shoulder.

MILWAUKEE (AP)—Ersan Ilyasova scored on a tip-in with 2.2 seconds left and
the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington 119-118 on Tuesday night, handing the
Wizards their fifth consecutive defeat.

Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 28 points for the Bucks, who snapped a
six-game losing streak at home.

Brandon Jennings took an inbounds pass with 6.8 seconds left and drove left
of the lane, attempting a short jumper. It bounced off the rim, but Ilyasova had
position and tipped in the miss for the winning points.

John Wall then got an inbounds pass on the baseline for Washington but was
called for traveling with 1 second to go without getting off a shot.

Wall gave the Wizards a 118-117 lead when he drove around Jennings and
scored on a running, 8-foot jumper with 6.8 seconds remaining.

Jennings finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Drew Gooden, who returned
after missing four games with a sprained right wrist, had 15 points and 10
rebounds but landed hard on his back in the third quarter and did not return.

Trevor Booker scored 20 points while Wall and Jordan Crawford added 19
apiece for Washington.

Milwaukee opened a 22-point lead in the first half, but Washington hit six
3-pointers in the third quarter to get back in the game.

Dunleavy made a pair of free throws with 1:21 left to give Milwaukee a
117-114 lead before Booker drove the lane and scored on a dunk to bring the
Wizards within 117-116 with 1:05 to go.

Dunleavy and Jennings each missed 3-point attempts on the next possession,
but Booker missed a tip on the other end.

Jennings drove to the basket but dribbled the ball off his foot with 12
seconds left, giving Washington a chance to win the game.

Wall scored to give the Wizards a brief lead before Ilyasova’s clutch
tip-in.

Washington erased a 14-point halftime deficit and took an 81-79 lead when
Maurice Evans stripped Carlos Delfino and sprinted to a breakaway layup with
4:16 to go in the third quarter.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a rebound with 1 second left to give
Milwaukee a 92-89 lead after three quarters.

Milwaukee took its biggest lead, 55-33, on Dunleavy’s 3-pointer with 5:35
left in the second. The Bucks ran off 13 consecutive points in the 30-12 run to
open a commanding cushion.

Dunleavy had 16 points in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, and
Milwaukee took a 67-53 advantage into halftime.

NOTES: Gooden went to the locker room for a few minutes in the third quarter
after being fouled by Chris Singleton. Gooden landed on his back with a loud
thud and returned to the bench but not the game. … The 67 points scored by the
Bucks in the first half were their most in a half this season, surpassing a
65-point first half in their first meeting with Washington on Dec. 30. …
Rookie F Tobias Harris returned after missing three games with a bruised right
shoulder.