Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Knight scored 24 points and handed out six assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-98 win over the Orlando Magic.
Khris Middleton had 21 points and seven assists, Ersan Ilyasova scored 16 points and pulled down 11 boards and Ramon Sessions scored 16 points with eight assists for the Bucks, who snapped a three-game slide.
"I just wanted to come out and be aggressive," said Knight. "We were able to get out and get some easy baskets and it was able to get us into a good rhythm."
Maurice Harkless led seven Orlando scorers in double figures with 14 points and Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Jameer Nelson chipped in with 13 points and seven assists and Arron Afflalo and Victor Oladipo finished with 12 points apiece for the Magic, losers in three straight and four of their last five.
"(It) was a similar formula from the last time we were here," said Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn of Milwaukee's gameplan for them. "Really they were just getting to the paint and making us react to their penetration."
Ilyasova gave the Bucks a 10-9 lead with just under seven minutes played in the first, but the Magic bridged the first and second frames with a 22-3 run to take a 31-13 lead. Harris scored 11 of the final 13 points on the run.
Milwaukee countered with a 15-5 run of their own to pull within single digits, 36-28, but the Magic managed to stretch their lead back to 14 moments later. The Bucks clawed back within two possessions by the end of the half, closing the frame on an 11-3 burst to go into the break trailing 51-45.
Kyle O'Quinn put Orlando up 58-45 less than four minutes into the third, but Milwaukee used a 21-9 swing to make it a one-point game, 67-66. The Bucks were 9-for-13 from the field over that stretch.
Orlando took a 71-68 lead into the final stanza.
A 14-4 run to open the final frame put the Bucks up 82-75. E'Twaun Moore's jumper pulled Orlando back within three, 82-79, moments later, but a 13-2 Milwaukee burst, capped by a Giannis Antetokounmpo 3-pointer, made it 95-81 with 2:50 left.
The Magic rallied behind a 13-2 surge to pull within three, 97-94, with 35.8 seconds left, but it would be as close as they would get the rest of the way as the Bucks went 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch.
Game Notes
Milwaukee outscored the Magic 48-30 in the paint ... The Bucks were 21-for-25 from the free throw line while Orlando went just 5-for-8 from the charity stripe ... The Magic scored 22 points off 13 Milwaukee turnovers.
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