Milwaukee Bucks Team Report - December 9

(Basketball News) - The Milwaukee Bucks dropped their third straight game on Monday, as they were dealt a 91-85 setback at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets.

Desmond Mason paced Milwaukee with 17 points. Damon Jones and Michael Redd both contributed 14 points and seven boards for the Bucks, who fell for the fourth time in five games. Joe Smith collected 13 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.

Trailing by as many as 10 in the final stanza, Milwaukee rallied and was able to close within three points twice, the last time at 84-81 on a layup by Smith with 2:18 remaining. The Hornets then received a hook shot from Jamaal Magloire to make it a five-point game.

After the Bucks’ Daniel Santiago missed a pair of free throws, Baron Davis converted a runner in the lane to push the advantage to seven with just 31 seconds left to end any chance of a comeback for the Bucks.

Redd suffered a rare off night, missing his first seven shots and going 4-for-18 overall. Milwaukee, as a team, connected on just 34.7-percent of its shots from the floor. T.J. Ford was 4-for-14, while Smith was 6- for-17.

The Bucks return to the court on Wednesday against Golden State.