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Sunday, Apr. 2 9:00pm ET
MIlwaukee keeps playoff hopes alive | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- One embarrassing loss was bad enough. The Milwaukee Bucks couldn't bear the thought of another. Getting 31 points from Sam Cassell and 27 from Ray Allen, the Bucks shook off their worst loss of the season and revived their playoff hopes by beating Golden State 117-113 on Sunday night. "If we want to do something special, we've got to start with a team we feel we should beat," Allen said. "If we didn't win this, we'd be lying to ourselves about wanting to make it to the playoffs and beating the teams we should beat because now's the time to do it." The Bucks, coming off Saturday night's 113-79 loss in Portland, needed the win to stay close to Detroit and Orlando in the race for the last two Eastern Conference playoff spots. Milwaukee trails Orlando by two games and Detroit by 2½. "Every win we get is important," Cassell said. "We can't afford to have any more slipups. They (the Warriors) came to Milwaukee and beat us and that was a win I had chalked down on my schedule. That just goes to show you you've got to play the game. We didn't play well that night. We really didn't play well tonight but we did what we had to do to win the game." Cassell did his part and was particularly effective from the foul line, converting 15-of-16 free throws, including 3-of-4 in the final 33 seconds to help fend off the Warriors, who lost their ninth straight. The injury-riddled Warriors have lost 18 of their last 19 games, their lone victory in that span coming in double overtime against Chicago. "Milwaukee is playing for a playoff spot. We're playing for pride," Golden State coach Garry St. Jean said. "We're undermanned but I thought we could have gotten the win. I wasn't happy with the outcome. I thought we had a heck of a shot to win." Glenn Robinson and Tim Thomas each added 16 points for the Bucks and Darvin Ham had 13. Ervin Johnson had 14 rebounds, grabbing Mookie Blaylock's missed 3-point try in the closing seconds for his final one. "Right now for us, it's just about winning," Thomas said. "That's all we care about." Larry Hughes had 32 points for Golden State, which missed a chance to complete its first season sweep of the Bucks since 1993-94. Blaylock added 24 points and Jason Caffey had 19. "It's tough when you lose," Hughes said. "We were hanging in there the whole way but there was just a couple rebounds we didn't get." Trailing 63-54 at halftime, the Warriors put together an 8-2 burst capped by Blaylock's 3-pointer to pull within five at 77-72 late in the third quarter. The Bucks answered with their own run, fueled by Thomas, who hit a 3-pointer and drove in for a pair of dunks during a 13-4 burst that put Milwaukee back in front 90-74. Golden State came back to score 10 straight points, including a driving layup by Hughes on the first play of the fourth quarter pulling the Warriors within 90-84. Ham converted a 3-point play and Johnson hit a short baseline jumper to slow the Warriors' momentum, and after Golden State closed to within five, Allen converted a 3-pointer with 7:17 left. The Bucks still had to withstand a closing rush by the Warriors. Blaylock connected on a 3-pointer and Caffey put back a missed free throw for another basket as Golden State closed to 104-103 with 3:30 remaining. Cassell answered with a jumper and Robinson had a putback as part of an 8-3 burst putting Milwaukee up 112-106 with 1:42 remaining. Golden State scored the next four points, but Johnson made a pair of free throws. After Hughes missed a running jumper, Johnson was fouled and missed both free throws but Ham came down with a huge rebound and dished off to Cassell, who was fouled and made both free throws with 33 seconds left. Blaylock drained a 3-pointer to bring the Warriors back within three and Cassell was fouled. He missed the first, his only misfire all day from the free throw line, but made the second. Golden State went down court but Blaylock put up an air ball from 3-point range and Johnson grabbed it, allowing the Bucks to run the final few seconds off the clock. Game notesCassell's 15 free throws was a Warriors' opponent season high. ... Robinson had a season-high seven assists. ... Hughes has scored 30-plus points four times for the Warriors. ... Milwaukee lost its earlier matchup this season with the Warriors 91-86. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Milwaukee Clubhouse Golden State Clubhouse RECAPS Detroit 113 New Jersey 92
Milwaukee 117
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