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Ellis' late 3-pointer lifts Bucks over Rockets

Feb 28, 2013 - 4:58 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Monta Ellis hit the game-winner on a one-footed 3-point heave in the closing seconds, and the Milwaukee Bucks stunned the Houston Rockets with a 110-107 decision on Wednesday at the Toyota Center.

Ellis capped his 27-point, 13-assist performance with his off-balance buzzer- beating triple to push Milwaukee to its second straight win.

The Bucks got two offensive rebounds on their final possession to hold for the final shot. Jennings held the ball at the top of the key and tried to blow by Jeremy Lin, but was denied. He then passed off to Ellis, whose shot circled around the rim before eventually falling through.

"Thank God it went in. That's all I can say," said Ellis. "We played hard, both teams played hard, we just stuck with it and it was just one of those things where we had to force a shot. Thank God it went in."

Ersan Ilyasova added 20 points and 10 boards, Mike Dunleavy and J.J. Redick scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench and Larry Sanders contributed 10 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

The Rockets, who were seeking their sixth win in a row at home, blew an early double-digit lead in dropping their second straight contest. James Harden had 25 points, Chandler Parsons came through with 20 and Omer Asik tallied 16 points with a career-high 22 rebounds in the defeat.

"The ball got tipped around and they got it," said Houston coach Kevin McHale on his team giving the Bucks multiple chances on their last possession. "You have to come up with those. They got a couple of opportunities. The ball got tipped. It was a scramble at that point. Everybody's got to try to come back and get one."

The Bucks came out flat and fell behind by 17 points in the first quarter, but shook off the early offensive woes and rallied to tie the contest by halftime and held a 81-80 advantage heading into the fourth.

There were five lead changes and five ties in the final frame, with the Rockets holding a 105-99 advantage after Asik's flush to cap a 6-0 spurt.

However, Ilysova responded with a three-point play and Dunleavy's triple knotted the score at 105-105.

Harden nearly put the Rockets back in front after coming away with a steal, but his fast break layup was rejected by Sanders, who hustled back to score on a tip in to put the Bucks ahead 107-105 with 45.3 seconds left.

Harden, however, refused to be denied again and scored the tying basket on a floater just prior to Ellis' game-winner.

The Rockets shredded through Milwaukee's defense early, scoring 28 of their first 36 points in the paint. The Bucks, though, cut the deficit to three by quarter's end and took their first lead on Ilyasova's jumper to start the third.

Game Notes

Sanders had two blocks, extending his streak with at least one to 38 games ... The Rockets had 70 points in the paint ... The Bucks scored 24 points off 19 Rockets turnovers ... Thomas Robinson, who was acquired in a trade with the Sacramento Kings prior to the NBA trade deadline, made his Rockets' debut. He scored two points in just under eight minutes of play ... Ekpe Udoh left the game for Milwaukee with a sprained ankle and did not return.