Brandon Jennings scored 19 points and 10 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks registered their eighth consecutive victory over the Toronto Raptors with a 107-96 result.
John Henson added 19 points and six rebounds for the Bucks, while Monta Ellis had 17 points. Reserve Mike Dunleavy finished with 15 points and five assists, while Larry Sanders added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Sanders also blocked DeMar DeRozan's layup attempt with only 3:09 left in the game, which proved very significant. Sanders, who has earned a great reputation as a shot stopper, has now at least one block in his last 23 games.
Coach Jim Boylan appreciated Sanders for improving his game and his ability to stop the most difficult shots.
"From where he was just a few months ago to where is he now, I've never seen anybody make that sort of progress," Boylan said. "Larry can do things that very few guys can do with his defensive ability. We're fortunate to have him. In the fourth quarter I thought he was just phenomenal."
For the Raptors, DeRozan was the top scorer with 23 points and five rebounds. Amir Johnson added 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Ed Davis had 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jose Calderon finished with 21 points and eight assists against Milwaukee.
Toronto made a sound start behind DeRozan's and Calderon in the first quarter to outscore the Bucks 34-16 in the first period.
But the Raptors could not keep the momentum going and Milwaukee outscored them 31-15 in the second quarter.
"After the first quarter we went out of our defensive focus," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I don't know what it was, we let up."
The Raptors entered the second half with a two-point lead. The third quarter saw the Raptors outscoring the Bucks 29-27.
Henson's hook shot gave the Bucks an 87-86 lead with 6:54 left in the game. Soon Davis had a dunk to put Toronto into the lead again at 91-90.
Jennings hit two free throws to bring the Bucks back. Then Sanders stopped a shot and did not allow their opponents to come back in the game.
"He's always making the big defensive stops for us," Jennings said of Sanders' efforts.
Ellis' layup and Sanders' two free throws and a dunk extended the Bucks lead to 101-91. Milwaukee outshined Toronto 33-18 in the fourth quarter to hand the Raptors their fifth consecutive loss against the Bucks at home.
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