Jennings’ basket with 22 seconds left proves to be winner as Bucks top 76ers, 91-88

Jennings’ late basket lifts Bucks over 76ers

MILWAUKEE — Rookie Brandon Jennings scored 18 points, hitting a 12-footer with 22 seconds left, and the Milwaukee Bucks held on to beat Philadelphia 91-88 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing skid against the 76ers.

Charlie Bell added 18 points for Milwaukee, which hadn’t topped Philadelphia in more than two years. The Bucks improved to 5-0 at home since Jan. 1 and bounced back from a 108-107 loss in Dallas on Tuesday night.

Elton Brand had his best game of the season for the Sixers, scoring a season-high 26 points and adding 10 rebounds, but he missed a short shot in the closing seconds and Andre Iguodala missed a good look to tie at the buzzer.

Milwaukee led by 10 with 4:47 left, but went more than 2½ minutes without scoring until Andrew Bogut hit the second of two free throws to make it 88-85 to stop Philadelphia’s 8-0 run.

Lou Williams hit a free throw to cut it to 88-86 with 1:53 left, but the Sixers missed several good opportunities to tie.

Brand hit an 18-footer over Bogut to tie it at 88-88, but Jennings answered with his only points of the fourth quarter to put Milwaukee ahead 90-88.

Brand then missed his short shot, grabbed an offensive rebound and was short on a 17-foot fadeaway. On the ensuing possession, Luke Ridnour hit the first of two free throws to make it 91-88 and giving the Sixers one last chance to tie with 2.2 seconds left.

Iguodala, who had been a thorn for the Bucks in the previous six matchups, got the inbound pass and elevated, but his shot clanked harmlessly off the rim at the buzzer.

Milwaukee gave the Sixers every chance to win. The Bucks hit only two of their final eight free throws and were outrebounded 51-35.

Jennings, who grew up idolizing Sixers guard Allen Iverson despite never talking to him until Wednesday night’s matchup, got off to a rough start by missing his first five shots. But the only Bucks player to start every game this season, got on a roll and went 8 of 13 from the field for the rest of the game.

NOTES: Milwaukee held a silent auction with all proceeds going toward the Red Cross Haiti earthquake relief efforts. Sixers center Samuel Dalembert, a native of Haiti, also addressed the crowd before the game. … Jennings, twice honored as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, was selected to play in the Rookie Challenge and will be the fifth rookie for the Bucks to appear in the game after Yi Jianlian (2008), Bogut (2006), Ray Allen (1997) and Glenn Robinson (1995).

(This version CORRECTS Bucks 91, 76ers 88; SUBS 9th graf to correct rebounding totals.)