LOS ANGELES, 17 January 2004 — The Milwaukee Bucks’ starters were cold, so coach Terry Porter turned to his bench to keep his club hot at home.
Toni Kukoc scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead a solid bench effort as the Bucks extended their home-winning streak to 10 games with an 86-83 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Thursday night.
“One thing you know about those guys on the other side is when they bring in their bench guys their intensity level goes up,” Nets coach Byron Scott said. “They take it to a different level and we didn’t match it.”
Michael Redd had 15 points, reserves Erick Strickland chipped in with 11, and Desmond Mason added 10 as Milwaukee’s bench outscored New Jersey’s, 48-24.
Milwaukee’s “Minute Men” ruined the return of Nets star forward Kenyon Martin. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder returned after serving a two-game league suspension for fighting with L.A. Clippers Corey Maggette last week. Martin shook off a slow start to score 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute as New Jersey lost for just the fifth time in the last 19 games. Trailing by 10, Porter went to his bench and inserted Marcus Haislip, Daniel Santiago, Mason, Strickland and T.J. Ford. The unit went on a 25-6 run to give the hosts a 72-63 advantage with just under eight minutes to go. Martin’s basket knotted the game at 76-apiece with 3:10 remaining but he fouled Kukoc.
Raptors 78 Hornets 74 (OT)
Jalen Rose scored 20 points, including the game-tying shot with one-second left in regulation, and Alvin Williams hit a pair of jumpers in overtime to lead the visiting Raptors over the Hornets. Williams and Donyell Marshall had 16 points apiece for Toronto.
Warriors 119 Cavaliers 102
Clifford Robinson matched a franchise-record with seven 3-pointers en route to a season-high 35 points, shooting the host Warriors past the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. Golden State’s Jason Richardson scored 25 points while Speedy Claxton had 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
Grizzlies 108 Bulls 93
James Posey scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Jason Williams added 20 points and nine assists, to lead the hosts Grizzlies over the Bulls for their third straight win.
Utah Jazz 97 Miami Heat 85
Andrei Kirilenko scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, to go along with 12 rebounds and five blocks, sending the Jazz past the visiting Heat for the sixth straight time.
Suns 105 Trail Blazers 96
Joe Johnson scored 20 points, including three clutch baskets late in the game, helping the visiting Suns stop a six-game slide by beating the Trail Blazers. Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix and Shawn Marion added 21 points. Zach Randolph collected 21 points and 12 rebounds while Ruben Patterson scored 21 points off the bench in Portland’s sixth loss in the last seven games.
