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MILWAUKEE -- Struggling through one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Brandon Knight and the Milwaukee Bucks wish they could play the Los Angeles Lakers every night. Jon Asamoah Jersey On Sale . Knight scored 30 points and Ramon Sessions added 22 to lead the Bucks to a 108-105 victory over the Lakers on Thursday to break an eight-game losing streak. The Bucks swept the season series for the first time since 2006-07, as Milwaukee beat Los Angeles 94-79 on Dec. 31. Knight scored a career-high 37 points in the first meeting. "Im not sure what it was, but I was able to have two good games against them," Knight said. "Some teams you just match up well against and we did this year against the Lakers." Knight also hit the key shot, a 17-foot jumper with 16 seconds remaining to give the Bucks a 105-99 lead. "They did a good job of cutting off a drive to the basket, but I was able to step back and get a good jumper that went down," he said. "It really felt nice to win a game like that." Khris Middleton added 14 points for the Milwaukee, which won for only the 14th time this season. The Bucks hit 55.7 per cent from the field, just the eighth time this season the Bucks have shot better than 50 per cent. "We feel very fortunate that we were able to play well both times that we faced them, but I dont really sense pride in beating them twice to be honest," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. Drew said Knight and Sessions really opened the floor for Milwaukee. "We probably ran more pick-and-roll than any other game we played. But we really were just focused on trying to open up the floor and both guys were getting to the basket and making shots," he said. "They seemed to play well off one another tonight. I played them both heavy minutes but they responded very well." Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo was injured midway through the fourth quarter when he stepped on Nick Youngs foot while driving to the basket and hurt his left ankle. He was helped to the locker room and did not return. Drew said the team would know more about Antetokounmpos injury on Friday. The Lakers had won two straight, including a 127-96 win over the New York Knicks on Tuesday when they scored 51 points in the third quarter. Jordan Hill had 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, while Young added 17 points. Young said the Lakers cant overlook any team, no matter its record. "This is the NBA where anyone can win on any night," he said. "You have to give them credit. They were more aggressive than we were at the end and really took it to the basket hard." Young hit a 3-pointer and Hill made a jumper to trim the lead to 103-99 with 1:43 remaining. Knights 17-foot jumper then gave the Bucks a six-point lead. Young countered by hitting a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, but the Lakers were unable to foul and Zaza Pachulia layup made it 107-102. Kent Bazemore hit a desperation 3-pointer for the Lakers with 2 seconds remaining, but Sessions was fouled and hit one of two free throws to make the score 108-105 with 0.6 seconds remaining. Young was unable to get off a final shot. "I felt like we could get it done, but it didnt happen," Young said. The Lakers played without Pau Gasol, who was out with vertigo for the second straight game, and Steve Nash, who has missed 18 of the teams last 19 games with nerve irritation. Notes: The Bucks announced Thursday that forward Ersan Ilyasova would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a right ankle and foot injury. ... O.J. Mayo also missed the game for the Bucks as he sprained his ankle in the teams loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. . Lakers centre Chris Kaman arrived at the arena just 30 minutes before the game, but still started and scored 13 points. Todd McClure Jersey . -- Jacksonville Jaguars rookie receiver Marqise Lee has agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth more than $5 million. Peter Konz Authentic . NHL hockey is returning to the Manitoba capital. The True North Sports and Entertainment group announced on Tuesday that they have completed a deal to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers and move them to Winnipeg in time for the 2011-12 season.EUGENE, Ore. -- Heading into halftime locked at 14-all with UCLA, No. 2 Oregon didnt panic. The Ducks knew theyd eventually wear down the No. 14 Bruins. Because thats what they do. "We understand that our tempo is one of our greatest allies," sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota said. Oregon went on to score 28 unanswered points in the second half and beat UCLA 42-14 on Saturday night. Byron Marshall ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, Mariota threw for 230 yards and another score, and the Ducks (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) racked up 555 yards in total offence compared to 283 for UCLA (5-2, 2-2). "We just had to keep chipping away," Mariota said. "We knew that if we kept getting 5- or 6-yard chunks, we were going to get into a rhythm." Brett Hundley completed 13 of 19 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions, including one early in the fourth quarter that led to an Oregon touchdown. He also ran for 64 yards and a score. "That was a very disappointing loss," Bruins coach Jim Mora said. "We didnt come up here to play them close, we didnt come up here to give it the old college try. We came up here to win the game and we didnt get it done and its very disappointing." UCLA, which has now lost two straight after falling to Stanford last week, has not won at Autzen Stadium since 2004, and hasnt defeated the Ducks since a 16-0 blanking in 2007. The two teams last met in 2011, when Oregon downed UCLA 49-31 in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks are the highest ranked opponent the Bruins have faced since they played the No. 1-ranked Ducks in the 2010 season. Last weekend UCLA fell 24-10 to No, 13 Stanford. Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the initial BCS rankings released last weekend, was coming off a 62-38 victory at home over Washington State. The Ducks have played one other game against a ranked opponent this season --a 45-24 victory over then-No. 16 Washington at Husky Stadium. "In the first half we had a couple of runs wed like to have back, and a we had a couple of throws wed like to have back," Ducks coach Mark Helfrich said. "But we finished right where we wanted to finish." Oregon got off to a poor start, stymied by its own mistakes and UCLAs stout defence. On the Ducks second play from scrimmage, Keanon Lowe fumbled a pass from Mariota. The turnover led to Hundleeys 4-yard touchdown run to give the Bruins the early lead. Jake Matthews Jersey. But Rodney Hardrick ran 66 yards on a fake punt and DeAnthony Thomas finished it off with a 1-yard dive for an Oregon touchdown to even the score. Thomas had missed the last three games after injuring his right ankle on the opening kickoff in Oregons 55-16 victory over California on Sept. 28, slipping on turf slick from a driving rain. Thomas was the Ducks leading rusher with 338 yards and six touchdowns in three games before he was injured. He finished with 31 yards rushing against the Bruins. Oregon went ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter with a 40-yard scoring run from Marshall, a sophomore who took over as starter in Thomas absence. Alejandro Maldonados punt for the Ducks was blocked late in the half, putting UCLA in Oregon territory. The Bruins capitalized on Hundleys 11-yard scoring pass to Thomas Duarte to even the game at 14. Midway through the third quarter, Mariota fumbled on first-and-goal at the UCLA 5, but the Bruins were forced to punt and the Ducks quickly responded with Marshalls 11-yard touchdown run. Avery Patterson intercepted Hundley early in the fourth quarter and the Ducks went on to score on Mariotas 8-yard pass to Bralon Addison. Marshall added a 3-yard touchdown dash with 8:47 left and freshman Thomas Tyner ran for a 2-yard TD with 2:25 to go for the final margin. It was Marshalls fifth straight game with at least 100 yards rushing this season. The Bruins were without junior tailback Jordon James, who missed his third straight game with an ankle injury. He had run for more than 100 yards in each of the Bruins first three games. The Bruins were also dealing with injuries on their offensive line, and as a result the team started three true freshman: Alex Redmond at right guard, Caleb Benenoch at right tackle and Scott Quessenberry at left guard. The Bruins have played 17 true freshmen this season. "I told the guys we played hard, but playing hard is not enough. Weve got to get to the point of the football where we play efficiently, where we dont make mistakes at critical times, where we run the right route, we block the right guy, we keep the right leverage, we make the tackle," Mora said. "We have to be able to get to the point as a football where we do the things on a consistent basis that champions do. Were not there yet." ' ' ' |
