Bucks hold off late Warriors’ rally

Simmons added 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who outscored the Warriors 27-15 in the third quarter to build a big lead and then held off a furious rally by the home team in the closing minutes.

Milwaukee snapped a 17-game losing streak to Western Conference clubs on the road by dominating the glass. The Bucks outrebounded Golden State 58-42 for the night, with Joe Smith pulling down 13 boards and rookie Andrew Bogut recording 11 in 16 minutes.

"It’s amazing that we got we got this win, for one, and that the streak was that long," said Redd. "Give our guys a lot of credit. We fought hard, were well prepared for tonight, and got the win."

Jason Richardson netted 21 points and Mickael Pietrus delivered 18 off the bench for the Warriors, who defeated the Bucks 110-103 in Milwaukee last week. Troy Murphy compiled 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Redd had seven points during a 13-0 third-quarter run that turned a three- point edge into a 66-50 lead. The sharp-shooting guard capped the burst when he was fouled while draining a three-pointer, then promptly swished home the bonus shot with 4:13 left in the period.

The Bucks took a 75-60 advantage into the fourth quarter and were still up by 15 when the Warriors began their comeback attempt. Consecutive threes by Baron Davis and Derek Fisher cut the deficit to nine, and after Smith’s tip-in on the other end, Golden State reeled off six straight points. A layup by Pietrus would bring the Warriors within 85-80 with 3:35 to play.

Golden State continued to surge and made it a two-point game at 87-85 when Davis buried a shot from beyond the arc with 59 seconds left. After the teams traded baskets, Milwaukee’s T.J. Ford made 1-of-2 free throws with 14 seconds to go for a 90-87 lead.

Richardson then missed a three-pointer and the Bucks came up with the rebound, but Simmons failed on both free-throw attempts with six seconds still on the clock. With a chance to force overtime, Davis air-balled his long-distance attempt right before the final buzzer.

Golden State led 12-9 early on before a 12-0 Milwaukee run, fueled by eight points from Simmons, gave the Bucks a nine-point cushion late in the first quarter. The Warriors responded with a 9-2 spurt capped by Pietrus’ three- pointer that trimmed the deficit to 23-21.

The teams were tied 42-42 late in the first half when Ford fed Jamaal Magloire for a dunk and then sank two free throws with 3:09 remaining before intermission. The Bucks would take a 48-45 lead into the break.

Game Notes

Milwaukee’s last road victory over a Western Conference foe came on March 12, 2004 when the Bucks downed Sacramento 112-101...Ford dished out 13 assists, one shy of a career-high...Golden State had won the last four meetings between the clubs...Smith, who missed the first three games with a sore knee, made his first start of the season...The Bucks improved to 3-1 on the road.