Bucks top Raptors to halt 11-game road skid

Milwaukee, which owns a 9-25 road mark this season, snapped an 11-game losing streak away from home.

Charlie Bell netted 19 points to reach double digits for the 20th straight time for the Bucks, who have won three in a row since ending their season-high seven-game losing streak. Andrew Bogut posted 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Charlie Villanueva added 14 points and 11 boards off the bench. Mo Williams contributed 13 points and eight assists.

On the injury front, guard Earl Boykins (thumb) sat the game out. Boykins has missed the last four games because of the problem.

Andrea Bargnani notched 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Raptors, who have now lost two of their last three. Chris Bosh posted 14 points and 10 boards, while Jorge Garbajosa netted 13 points. T.J. Ford had 10 points and nine assists, and Morris Peterson also scored 10.

Toronto, which has won 10 of its last 14 games, was back at the Air Canada Center where it owns a 20-9 record this season. In injury news, guard Anthony Parker (ankle) missed the game.

Bosh’s two free throws with two ticks under a minute to go in the third tied the score at 63, but the Bucks rattled off five straight for a 68-63 advantage heading into the final stanza.

Milwaukee kept the momentum moving by opening the fourth on a 9-2 spurt sparked by a Ruben Patterson layup 36 seconds into the quarter. The run gave the Bucks a 12-point lead, 77-65, with 10:10 seconds remaining, and they cruised to victory down the stretch.

The game went back and forth in the first quarter, with Toronto edging a 22-21 lead heading into the second. Both clubs continued trading baskets for a 48-45 Milwaukee lead at halftime.

Game Notes

Friday’s showdown between Milwaukee and Toronto was the third of four meetings this season. The Raptors won the two previous encounters, while the fourth matchup will take place on March 12 at the Bradley Center...The Bucks have won two of the last five meetings with Milwaukee, which dropped its previous two visits to the Air Canada Center.