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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) – You've heard of Hack-a-Shaq. How about
Hack-a-Ham?
|  | | Darvin Ham added relative accuracy to his hustle game, hitting several key FTs down the stretch. |
Darvin Ham made Orlando pay for its foul strategy by sinking seven of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter, leading the Milwaukee Bucks past the Magic 115-103 Friday night.
Ham was hacked three straight times in the backcourt, starting with 3:04 left. After Ham twice missed 1-of-2, the Magic cut it to five. Then Ham sank two and Orlando faded.
"You ruined my dinner," Bucks coach George Karl said as he passed Magic coach Doc Rivers in the hallway outside the locker rooms.
"I knew you had reservations at 10," Rivers responded.
Ham, who had made just 13-of-26 free throws coming into the game
after missing most of the season with a foot injury, called it
solid strategy.
"If you're going to play it by percentages, it's a great strategy," Ham said. "My free throw percentage is not that high, one of the lowest on the team. So, it's just up to me to prove that strategy wrong and make it fail.
"I hit more than what they expected. I went 7-for-10. I'm mad,
personally, I didn't go 10-for-10. Before, I didn't have the
confidence. But I've been working on it every day with the
assistant coaches and I'm hoping they put me up there now."
Glenn Robinson scored 26 points and Tim Thomas added 20 and the Bucks moved 18 games above .500 for the first time in nearly 12 years.
The Bucks' reserves outscored Orlando's 48-20 as Milwaukee
(43-25) won its fourth straight and surpassed last year's victory
total with 14 games to go.
The last time the Bucks were this far above .500 was April 16,
1989. The last time they won more than 42 games was 1990-91, when
they won 48.
With Charlotte's loss to Chicago, the Bucks' lead in the Central
Division increased to 3½ games.
Tracy McGrady scored 33 points for Orlando, and rookie Mike
Miller added a career-best 28, four more than his previous high.
The Bucks led by as many as 22 in the third period but the Magic
scored 14 straight points and trailed 84-75 heading into the fourth
quarter.
After Ham missed 2-of-4 free throws following quick backcourt
fouls by the Magic, Orlando pulled to 105-100 on Darrell
Armstrong's 3-pointer with 2:32 left.
But Ham sank his next two free throws and the Magic never got
closer, even though Mark Pope missed two foul shots with 2:14 left.
"The fouling of Ham actually got us back in the game," Rivers said. "And Pope, too, but I always say when you have to do that, you're reaching for a lot of straws."
Karl said: "I thought Darvin did a good job of making the free
throws, Mark bricked two. I'm just happy for a W.
"But Doc ruined my dinner reservations."
With Orlando trailing 83-61, Miller scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers around a breakaway dunk that pulled Orlando to 83-69.
After a timeout, Miller fed Pat Garrity for a jumper and added a
free throw, as did Tracy McGrady. Michael Doleac's jumper at 1:25 capped the 14-0 run, which ended when Doleac got a technical for an illegal defense 15 seconds later and Ray Allen sank the penalty
shot, making it 84-75.
Milwaukee led 61-47 at halftime behind Robinson's 14 first-half points.
Game notes
The Bucks have won eight straight against Orlando, their longest current streak against any NBA team. ... Nine of
Milwaukee's remaining 14 games are on the road, where the Bucks are
17-10 since starting out 0-5 away from the Bradley Center. ...
Milwaukee's Sam Cassell was on the floor early in the third quarter
when he knocked the ball away from McGrady. But an official
mistakenly ruled that Cassell had kicked the ball when it actually
went off McGrady's knee. ... The Bucks announced the game as their
11th sellout, although there were hundreds of empty seats in the
upper bowl.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Orlando Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 95
Vancouver 75
Toronto 112
Atlanta 86
New Jersey 95
New York 86
Minnesota 101
Denver 90
Chicago 93
Charlotte 90
Milwaukee 115
Orlando 103
Phoenix 84
Philadelphia 71
LA Lakers 104
Washington 91
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