MILWAUKEE — Jaryd Bayless made five of six field goals in the final minute and forward Ersan Ilyasova scored 20 points as the Milwaukee Bucks held off a furious comeback attempt by the New York Knicks for a 117-113 victory Tuesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Ilyasova scored 11 of his points in the final quarter.
Milwaukee led by as many as 26 in the second half and scored the first seven points of the final quarter to take a 102-84 lead before the Knicks rallied and cut the lead to 11 before Ilyasova sank a 3-pointer with 7:10 to play.
Hardaway and Anthony combined to score seven straight to get New York within six and a Iman Shumpert dunk make it a four-point game with two minutes left.
The Bucks, who shot 56 percent through the first three quarters went ice cold down the stretch, allowing the Knicks back in the game. Forward Ersan Ilyasova connected on a 15-footer with 33 seconds to snap a six-minute field goal drought but left but a missed free throw by point guard Jaryd Bayless let the Knicks make it a one-possession game on a dunk by Anthony with 12 seconds left.
New York got 26 points from Anthony and 24 from Hardaway. Shumpert had 21 and Amar’e Stoudemire added 14 for the Knicks, who shot 55 percent from the field and made 11 of 24 3-point attempts.
Shumpert and Anthony combined for 21 of New York’s 30 first quarter points. The Knicks pace shot 60 percent from the field but Milwaukee, though, shot 55 percent and the two teams were tied at 30-30 through one but four 3-pointers in the second quarter helped the Bucks take a 66-49 lead into the break.
NOTES: Bucks C Larry Sanders was a late scratch due to a bruised thigh. … Knicks G Iman Shumpert returned to the starting lineup after missing New York’s 109-92 victory Sunday against Denver with a hip contusion. Shumpert is second on the team with 12.4 points per game this season. … Three of the Bucks’ five victories this season have come in games in which they recovered from deficits of 10 points or more. … Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd spent the 2012-13 season — the last of his 19-year playing career — with the Knicks. … Knicks coach Derek Fisher said he is not inclined to play Carmelo Anthony too much at power forward this season because New York has plenty of depth at the position and because other Eastern Conference teams have “gotten big over the last couple of years.” … New York F Cleanthony Early underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday and is expected to miss about a month of action.