Raptors Rock Milwaukee
Posted April 9, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
When Chris Bosh launched a three-pointer late in the third quarter, the Raptors all-star forward let out a guttural scream as he strutted back up the court.
The basket was part of a third-quarter Raptors surge that turned the game in Toronto’s favour, giving the Raptors a 111-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks that ended a three-game losing streak on Wednesday.
Former Raptor Charlie Villanueva scored a season-high 38 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers, and added 12 rebounds to lead Milwaukee (26-52).
Bosh had 32 points and 11 rebounds to go with four blocked shots and three steals. Anthony Parker finished with 18 points for Toronto (39-39), while Rasho Nesterovic and T.J. Ford finished with 14 apiece, and Andrea Bargnani added 10.
With four games to go in the regular season, the Raptors entered Wednesday’s matchup having won just four of their previous 15, and in danger of staggering into the playoffs in seventh place, which would put them against the Detroit Pistons.
The Raptors didn’t lead by more than eight points in the first half, but finally took control with an energetic third quarter in which they stretched their lead to 16 points and outscored the Bucks 33-20 to take an 83-68 advantage into the fourth.
The lottery-bound Bucks cut Toronto’s lead to 10 points with 4:45 to go in front of a crowd of 18,569 at the Air Canada Centre, but that was as close as they would come as five consecutive points by Parker, including a three with 2:45 left, put the Raptors back up by 16, and Toronto cruised to a much-needed win.
The Raptors shot 54 per cent on the night, and held the Bucks to 42 per cent. Both teams grabbed 41 rebounds. Toronto outscored the Bucks 48-32 in the paints.
Villanueva looked bent on revenge against the team that traded him to Milwaukee in the summer of 2006 for Ford. He’d already tied his career high for threes (six) early in the second quarter, glaring at the Raptors bench after one of them.
Villanueva had managed just two points the previous night in the Bucks’ overtime loss to Boston. He’s averaged 16.6 points his previous 16 games.
Villanueva had 14 points in the first quarter, but his teammates contributed little as the Raptors took an eight-point lead and were up 23-18 heading into the second.
He scored Milwaukee’s first 13 points of the second, including three consecutive threes, that gave the visitors a four-point lead. But that would be the Bucks’ biggest lead of the game, and a three by Jamario Moon with 24 seconds on the clock sent Toronto into the dressing at halftime with a 50-48 lead.
Ford had 10 points in the third quarter.
