Andrea Bargnani scored 23 points as the Toronto Raptors won their second game in a row, 115-106 over the Milwaukee Bucks, last night.
Jos? Calder?n had 19 points and 11 assists for the Raptors, while Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker added 18 points each. Bosh also had 14 rebounds. Raptors 115, Bucks 106
Richard Jefferson had 22 points and Charlie Bell added 20 to lead the Bucks (31-41), who opened a four-game road trip.
The Raptors (26-45), who defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, started strong and opened a 65-44 halftime lead over the Bucks. Calder?n had 17 points and seven assists in the half while Bosh had 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Raptors pulled away on the strength of a 40-24 second quarter. They increased the lead to 23 points at 94-71 after the third quarter in which Bargnani scored 11 points.
Toronto fared better against former Raptor forward Charlie Villanueva last night, holding him to eight points on 4-for-11 shooting.
Villanueva, the Raptors' first-round pick in the 2005 draft, was traded to Milwaukee for guard T.J. Ford after one season.
In nine previous games against the Raptors -- four of them starts -- Villanueva averaged 17 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 53 per cent from the field.
In the three previous games this season, he averaged 22.3 points with eight rebounds and shot 51 per cent from the floor.
"He gets a little fired up every time he comes here," said Raptors interim head coach Jay Triano before the game.
Villanueva started last night's game and did not score until there was 2:18 left in the first quarter. In the first three minutes of the game, Villanueva was called for a personal foul and turned the ball over twice.
Toronto won the first meeting between the teams Nov. 1, 91-87 at Milwaukee's Bradley Center. The Bucks won the next two, 107-97 on Jan. 5 at the Bradley Center and 96-85 on Jan. 30 at the ACC.
"Last time they played here, they beat us, so we owe them one," Triano said before the game.
