• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bucks top Thunder for second straight win

Nov 12, 2014 - 6:28 AM Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - O.J. Mayo scored 19 points off the bench to help the Milwaukee Bucks to a 85-78 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Brandon Knight knocked in 16 points with four assists and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 14 points in a reserve role for the Bucks, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since March of the 2012-13 season.

"You know it's something positive," Mayo said of the brief winning streak. "Last year, obviously, we put that behind us but it didn't happen for us."

Reggie Jackson poured in a career-high 29 points for Oklahoma City, while Serge Ibaka and Anthony Morrow tallied 12 and 10, respectively.

The Thunder have dropped four of their last five overall and their last seven straight on the road dating back to last season.

"We didn't make shots," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Not one guy is trying to go out there and miss shots, but we can help ourselves make shots by moving our bodies and moving the basketball."

The Bucks built their five-point lead entering the fourth to 11 after Antetokounmpo capped an 8-2 run.

Ibaka's tip-in then ended a 4:22 drought for Oklahoma City that cut the deficit to 77-68 with under six minutes to play.

The Thunder had trouble putting it in the basket all night, and the lack of offense down the stretch proved to be too much to overcome. Milwaukee held on to win its second straight and snap a streak of 105 games without a two-game winning streak.

Both teams used a fast pace in the first quarter, but poor shooting resulted in the Thunder taking a 22-15 lead into the second. Oklahoma City went 10- for-23 over the opening 12 minutes and held its opponent to 7-of-20 shooting.

Things slowed down in the second and Milwaukee flipped the script, limiting the Thunder to a dismal quarter on the scoresheet. The Bucks made 12-of-21 attempts, while Oklahoma City hit just four of its 19 shots. Jabari Parker's driving layup after a nice crossover dribble closed the scoring in the half and gave the hosts a 41-38 lead at the break.

Zaza Pachulia dropped a pass off to a trailing Jerryd Bayless, who finished with an uncontested dunk late in the third. Jeremy Lamb answered with a basket at the other end, then Mayo capped the quarter with a pair of free throws to give Milwaukee a 69-64 lead.

Game Notes

The teams combined for 22 turnovers in the first half ... The Bucks had played 105 games without winning back-to-back games ... Milwaukee snapped a four-game home losing streak to the Thunder ... Steven Adams pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for OKC ... Pachulia finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists ... There were five ties and seven lead changes ... Milwaukee owned a 50-28 edge in the paint.