Raptors 111, Bucks 90
MILWAUKEE -- DeMarr DeRozan scored 22 points and Terrance Ross added 21 off the bench as the Toronto Raptors overcame a third-quarter lull to put away the Milwaukee Bucks 111-90 on Saturday afternoon at the Bradley Center.
DeRozan scored 10 points in the third quarter, including eight in a row after Toronto had fallen behind by as many as six. But his late surge made it a three-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter and the Raptors opened the quarter with a 17-2 run to go ahead by 13 when Ross sank a 3-pointer with 5:56 remaining.
Forward Luis Scola hit 7 of 12 shots from the field to finish with 17 points, guard Kyle Lowry had 16 points and nine assists and center Bismarck Biyombo contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot 52 percent from the field and connected on 13 of 29 3-point attempts while turning the ball over only nine times.
Shooting guard Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 20 points and center Greg Monroe had a double-double with with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but Monroe did not score in the fourth quarter.
Middleton scored 10 points in the third quarter, knocking down three 3-pointers as the Bucks erased a 63-55 deficit with an 11-4 run capped when Jabari Parker found Middleton to put the Bucks up 68-67 -- Milwaukee's first lead of the game.
The Bucks went 6 of 14 from beyond the arc but shot just 42.9 percent from the field for the game and gave up 22 points on 13 turnovers.
NOTES: Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas was unavailable Saturday and missed his 17th game because of a broken left hand. Valanciunas has been out since Nov. 11, but has returned to practice and could return to the lineup next week. ... Raptors SF DeMarre Carroll returned, but was moved to the bench and placed on a minutes restriction against the Bucks, as he continues to play through a sore right knee. ... Milwaukee is still without reserve G Jerryd Bayless, who hasn't played since spraining his left ankle Dec. 4 at Detroit. ... Saturday marked the first game in a stretch of eight with five road games and all but one against teams with winning records. ... Toronto began the day only 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. ... The teams met twice already this season, with the Raptors winning both games. Toronto has won eight of the last nine meetings with the Bucks.