Redd puts up 45 as Bucks surprise Lakers

(AP)
Updated: 2006-11-29 15:27

LOS ANGELES - Michael Redd scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, Mo Williams added 22, and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a streak of 10 consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Lakers with a 109-105 victory Tuesday night.


Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, reacts after fouling Milwaukee Bucks' Michael Redd (not shown) as teammate Luke Walton walks away during the basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006. Lakers lost, 109-105. [AP]

Redd recorded two four-point plays for the Bucks, who shot 50.6 percent from the field. They beat the Lakers for only the third time in the last 22 meetings and just the fourth time on the road in 24 attempts since the start of the 1982-83 season.

Redd, an All-Star three seasons ago, reached the 30-point mark for the seventh time this season and 49th time in his seven-year NBA career. He scored 57 points on Nov. 11 against Utah, the most by any player drafted after the first round since the NBA and ABA merger that followed the 1975-76 season. The Bucks tabbed Redd in the second round of the 2000 draft.


Milwaukee Bucks' Michael Redd, left, shoots under Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant during the first quarter of the basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006.[AP]

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points for the Lakers, while Lamar Odom had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Los Angeles fell to 8-2 at home.

The Bucks took a 41-39 lead on a short jumper by Dan Gadzuric with 5:14 left in the first half. They didn't trail again until Sasha Vujacic - the last player off the Lakers' bench - intercepted center Andrew Bogut's pass and converted the turnover into a breakaway layup to cap a 27-13 run and give Los Angeles a 78-77 edge with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.

Bryant went to the bench 14 seconds later with his fourth foul, and the Bucks capitalized with an 18-4 run that opened up a 95-82 lead with 7:34 to play. Redd scored Milwaukee's first 15 points of that rally. The backbreaker came with 9:32 left, when he converted a layup into a three-point play and sank another free throw after a technical foul called by referee Monty McCutcheon against Odom.

Bryant returned to the floor with 8:46 remaining and scored eight points before Odom's layup narrowed the gap to 97-92 with 4:20 left. The Bucks built their margin back up to nine on Redd's fifth 3-pointer of the game, but the Lakers clawed back within 107-102 on rookie Jordan Farmar's 3-pointer with 49 seconds to go.

Redd answered with a layup, and Luke Walton hit a 3 at the other end to slice Milwaukee's lead to 108-105 with 18 seconds left. Redd lost the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but former Laker Ruben Patterson turned into the Kobe-stopper he always claimed to be, forcing the eight-time All-Star to miss a game-tying 3-point shot with 5 seconds on the clock.

Williams had seven points, two assists and a steal during a 15-2 run that turned Milwaukee's five-point deficit into a 47-39 advantage with 3:35 left in the second quarter. He added a 14-foot running jumper and a 3-point basket before intermission, finishing the half with 16 points.

Redd powered the Bucks to a 52-47 halftime lead with 20 points, including his first four-point play less than 4 1/2 minutes in. He drained a 3 directly across from the Milwaukee bench, and was awarded the free throw after Bryant made contact with him in an attempt to block the shot.

The call got a reaction from Bryant - but not as severe as the one that earned him a technical foul about 2 1/2 minutes later from referee Zach Zarba for insisting he was the victim of an illegal pick by Bogut. The Lakers were assessed three other technical fouls in the first half for defensive 3-second violations, and got one more in the third quarter.



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