• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Lowry, Raptors cruise past Bucks

Jan 14, 2014 - 5:35 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Lowry scored 23 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc to help lead the Toronto Raptors to a 116-94 drubbing over the Milwaukee Bucks from Air Canada Centre.

"He's been playing at an All-Star level," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry.

DeMar DeRozan netted 19 points and Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which has won three straight overall and five straight at home. The Raptors also snapped a five-game skid at home to the Bucks.

Patrick Patterson and John Salmons scored 18 and 10 points off the bench, respectively, in the win.

Ersan Ilyasova poured in a game-high 29 points on an efficient 11-for-16 shooting for the Bucks, who are mired in a six-game losing streak.

"I thought he brought a physicality to the game, I thought he played hard," Bucks head coach Larry Drew said of Ilyasova.

Brandon Knight scored 16 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 11 points with seven rebounds in the loss.

Luke Ridnour knocked down a 3-pointer with four minutes left in the first to tie the game at 19, and Toronto proceeded to outscore the Bucks 19-5 for the remainder of the frame to take a 38-24 lead.

Toronto was a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line during the opening 12 minutes.

The Raptors pushed the lead to 19 following a Greivis Vasquez trey 1:59 into the second before Milwaukee started to work its way back into the game.

The Bucks switched their defense to a zone midway through the quarter and ended the final 5:01 on a 14-4 run to trail 58-50 at the break.

The lead was trimmed to seven before Toronto went on an 8-0 run early in the third that was capped with a jumper from Salmons on the near wing for a 71-56 advantage.

Antetokounmpo gathered Knight's miss and converted the layup to end the short drought for Milwaukee.

Toronto led 88-73 going into the fourth quarter and the Raptors would soon thereafter break the game open.

Terrence Ross hit a pair of free throws to close a 13-2 run and help the Raptors to a 101-75 lead with 7:52 remaining.

The lead swelled to 31 late in the fourth following a Steve Novak 3 and the Raptors coasted to the finish.

Game Notes

This is the first five-game home winning streak for Toronto since Dec. 14, 2012-Jan. 2, 2013 ... The Raptors shot at a 50.6 percent (40-for-79) clip from the field and 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from deep ... Toronto owned a slim advantage on the boards, outrebounding Milwaukee 46-40 ... Milwaukee's John Henson returned from a seven-game hiatus with a high-ankle sprain with eight points, five rebounds, and four blocks in 17 1/2 minutes of action ... The Bucks outscored Toronto in the paint 40-32 ... Ilyasova added nine rebounds.