The Milwaukee Bucks, if they expect to sniff the playoffs, will have to win more than half of their games in their current homestretch as they spend the next 2 weeks or so at home; however, their opponents gradually get tougher with each passing game as they play New York on Tuesday, followed by New Orleans, Boston, Orlando and Portland.  But first, they had to beat the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.  Both teams shot well, but Milwaukee held off a big Golden State to eke out a 127-120 win at Bradley Center.

Scoring was not a problem for either team in the first half, yet Milwaukee outscored Golden State 33-28 and 29-25, taking a 62-53 lead to their locker room at halftime.  Fast-forwarding to the fourth quarter, the Bucks took a 102-89 lead with 9:15 left to go in the game when Luke Ridnour hit a jumper then Charlie Bell made a layup.  But Jamal Crawford helped the Warriors tie the game by draining 3 three-pointers – including one that was a 4-point play; Stephen Jackson would make a layup and then tied the game at 104 with a free throw midway through the final period. 

Milwaukee pushed their lead back to 119-111 with 2:07 remaining after Richard Jefferson scored 6 points; after matching treys by Crawford and the Bucks’ Charlie Villanueva, the Warriors reduced their deficit to 122-118 with 1:03 to play on a jumper by Marco Belinelli and a pair of free throws by Corey Maggette.  The Bucks, however, would hang on for the win.

Seven players for Milwaukee scored in double-digits, led by Jefferson with 35 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Ridnour added 17 with 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals; Bell scored 16 with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while Ramon Sessions chipped in 15 with 2 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal.

Golden State was led by Crawford with 32 points (including 6 three-pointers), 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Jackson added 23 with 4 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals but committing 7 turnovers; Maggette chipped in 22 with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks while Ronny Turiaf scored 15 with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 4 blocks.  Milwaukee (30-36) plays again on Tuesday when they host the New York Knicks while Golden State (21-42) gets a rest until Wednesday when they host the New Jersey Nets.