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Bucks, Raptors battle in Toronto

Jan 13, 2014 - 3:01 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - DeMar DeRozan has quietly coasted under the radar as one of the NBA's consistent scorers and will try to lead the Toronto Raptors to a perfect three-game homestand Monday versus the lowly Milwaukee Bucks.

DeRozan is averaging 22.3 points per game in his last nine and leads the Raptors with 21.3 ppg this season. He had 26 points in Saturday's 96-80 victory over the Brooklyn Nets and made 9-of-18 shots to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Patrick Peterson ended with 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, Terrence Ross scored 14 points and John Salmons added 13 in a reserve role for Toronto, which has won seven of nine and 11 of its last 15 games.

The Atlantic Division-leading Raptors ended Brooklyn's season-high five-game winning streak.

"Brooklyn is a tough team. Their defense is their strength. During their winning streak it was their defense that has helped them more than their offense," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey.

Toronto has won four in a row at home and is 8-8 at Air Canada Centre.

Milwaukee has the worst record in the NBA at 7-29 and is mired in a five-game losing streak. It suffered its third straight road loss in Saturday's 101-85 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Luke Ridnour and O.J. Mayo scored 16 points apiece off the bench, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brandon Knight both had 13 points. Antetokounmpo also grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out five assists for the Bucks, who dropped to 4-15 as the guest and shot 39.5 percent.

The Thunder recorded a 39-27 advantage in the third quarter and were led by NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant, who posted 33 points, 10 boards and seven assists. Serge Ibaka also had a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

"It got away in the third quarter. I thought defensively we had some breakdowns and against a good team you just can't do that," said Bucks coach Larry Drew. "Offensively our shot selection wasn't very good and we didn't move the ball very well."

Milwaukee hopes big man John Henson can return from an ankle injury Monday and is questionable against the Raptors. Henson is averaging 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and hasn't played since Dec. 27 at Brooklyn.

The Bucks sustained a 97-90 loss at home to the Raptors on Nov. 2, as DeRozan scored 17 points and Mayo tallied 16. Milwaukee had won the previous 10 matchups with Toronto until that recent setback and is still a dominant 14-3 in the previous 17 meetings between the teams.

Milwaukee is unbeaten in its last five games north of the border.