SB Nation User Blog: Alex Boeder

Game 13: Bucks/Hornets

Alex Boeder — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:02:37 -0000

2009/2010 NBA Season
	vs.
6-9 (5-2 home)		8-4 (2-3 road)
November 25th, 2009
New Orleans Center
7:00 PM
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin
Probable starters:
Darren Collison	PG	Brandon Jennings
Devin Brown	SG	Charlie Bell
Peja Stojkovic	SF	Carlos Delfino
David West	PF	Ersan Ilyasova
Emeka Okafor	C	Dan Gadzuric

(12th) 107.9 - OFFENSE - 105.3 (19th)
(29th) 111.9 - DEFENSE - 101.3 (6th)
(23rd) 91.5 - PACE - 93.9 (11th)

Notes are the jump...

Marcus Thornton? The one, probably not the only. But he is playing like a one-of-a-kind second rounder so far. Guard and 43rd overall pick Marcus Thornton is averaging a silly 13.0 points in just 18.4 minutes on 46.6 % from the field. Only David West (14.5 ppg) is averaging more among active Hornets.

More perspective: Thornton is averaging 27.8 points / 40 minutes, which is virtually even with Brandon Jennings (28.0 / 40), and that ranks him among the NBA's top 15 scorers per minute. Sure, it's a touch easier to put in points at that rate in fewer minutes, but it's not really easy at all. I assume Bell will try to mark this man.

Injured stars. And it's a mighty good thing that Thornton has stepped up, because Chris Paul remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle. Also still out is Bogut, who is arguably Milwaukee's best player. But Paul isn't arguably the best player on his team, he is far and away the top player on the Hornets, the best point guard in the world, and a top five player overall.

Paul was actually having his best statistical season yet before going down a week and a half ago -- and that is really saying something considering his last couple seasons. Look at this: 23.8 points, 9.2 assists, and 2.1 turnovers on .594/.845/.655. Yes, that's FG%/FT%/3PT%, and no, it doesn't really make sense unless you are Chris Paul. Jennings will have to wait until Feb. 24 for another chance against the best.

A rough road. Homecourt advantage is alive and well in the NBA. Case in point: only two of the fifteen Western Conference teams (Los Angeles 4-5, Minnesota 1-6) have losing home records this season.

The Bucks are getting a dramatic sense of just how much better teams play at home on this road trip; the Spurs entered Monday's matchup 5-2 at home but 0-4 on the road. Now they travel to New Orleans, where the Hornets are the same 5-2... the Hornets are 1-7 on the road.

Coverage

At The Hive / Hornets247 / NOLA.com / Bucksketball

Believe the Hype?

Alex Boeder — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:20:52 -0000

[Don't Believe the Hype predated Jennings by a year]

They say there is no such thing as bad press, but even if there was, Brandon Jennings wouldn't have any...

FanHouse: Brandon Jennings Revives the Bucks
Very nicely penned article by Chris Tomasson.

True Hoop: Sonny Vaccaro on how Brandon Jennings broke the mold, Part 3
Or first read up on the parts one and two in the series. Great interviews.

Dime: Top 5 most surprising players
I'll give you ~~three~~ ~~two~~ one guess who is number one...

Sporting News: What the 55 Really Tells Us
If you didn't read Shoals' take, it's 'bout that time.

USA Today: Italian seasoning pays off
More on how the European experience helped prepare Jennings.

SI.com: Bucks 11th in Power Rankings
Mannix impressed by Jennings leading the Bucks to wins on back-to-back nights.

Under Armour: Sitting down with Jim Paschke
A couple of Brew Hoop favorites in this interview.

NBATV: Interview
First new car: A 2010 Ford Edge.

MaxPreps: Diener saw Brandon Jennings show coming
Tom Diener (yep, Travis Diener's uncle), a legend in the high school coaching ranks in Wisconsin , after watching Jennings in the McDonald's All-American Game in Milwaukee in 2008...

"He’s Allen Iverson with a great attitude," he said that week.

I remember thinking at the time that Diener, who led Vincent High School to five Wisconsin state titles, was full of cheese. But watching Jennings slice through the Warriors like a slab of Swiss, I realized I didn’t know jack. Jennings showed the confidence, poise and savvy of an NBA veteran — just like Diener projected.

"No, really," he told me 18 months ago. "He’s probably the best guard I’ve seen at this level."

OnMilwaukee: Giving thanks for Brandon Jennings
'Tis the season.

BJennings3.com
Slick, updated official site.

Brew Hoop: Bucks/Thunder on ESPN this Friday
I reckon Young Buck had a little somethin'-somethin' to do with this.

(Okay, maybe a little bit of bad press, but not so serious)

Sixers 4 Guidos: Jennings? A bust! At least here
There are so many times when having an Italian NBA blogging friend is cool, and this is one of those times.

The Good Point: Jennings, potentially filled with snakes
A cautioner among us.

Recap: Spurs 112, Bucks 98

Alex Boeder — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:15:41 -0000

More photos » by BAHRAM MARK SOBHANI - AP

No one said it was easy in San Antone.

Browse more photos »

Box Score

Isn't this what the Spurs should have been doing the whole time against the Bucks?

Punishing inside, threes from outside, and far too much Tim Duncan all in between, San Antonio handled Milwaukee just like they have not during so many recent matchups. And it all makes sense, really -- after all of those years that the bad Bucks challenged and beat the great Spurs -- that the most buzzworthy version of the Bucks in many, many hot minutes would lose so clearly to a cooled, under-.500 Spurs team.

Five different Bucks scored to close the first half on a 15-2 run, but Duncan scored six quick ones in a reality-checking, flexing, 37-point (defense?) third quarter for the Spurs. They didn't bother looking back.

The Bucks missed Bogut badly, but the Spurs were without Manu Ginobili and so all was fair. Ilyasova was up, Jennings was down, and Redd was back up but looked pretty down.

A tough loss, but not unexpected if we're going to be honest, and we are: Really, this is just life on the road in the NBA when you are many miles from Minneapolis and Memphis.

Three Bucks

Ersan Ilyasova. More Turkish Delight tonight, as Ilyasova battled high and low, netting a season-high and team-leading 20 points -- all while making just one three-pointer. That's encouraging. Ilyasova was strong at the rim on a night when most of the Spurs were tougher than most of the Bucks. And his always-active hands on defense paid off handsomely tonight with four steals to his name.

Carlos Delfino. A nice all around effort by Delfino, who buried three corner triples, each one giving his team hope when it looked dim. He brought the Bucks to within 29-39, 38-47, and 53-57, but he needed a few more, and that was only to be for Matt Bonner on this night. After a very quiet game in Memphis, Delfino resumed his recent role as playmaker with a couple nice feeds in the first quarter, finishing with five dimes. He also fared fairly well defensively, without even considering the two blocks.

Hakim Warrick. San Antonio's bench gave it to Bucks, but it was very pleasing to see Warrick come through with confidence after a rather passive start to the year. Unlike just about everyone else on the team, Hak' continues to play better on the road than at home. He got to the line, such a rariety around these parts, and made all five from the stripe, more than half of the team's nine made free throws.

A solid 15/4/2 on 5-7 from the field in 19 minutes, and that is much needed going forward.

Three Numbers

0. Tony Parker and Brandon Jennings each turned the ball over five times, not wretched stuff, but neither made it to the free throw line, and that is even more surprising. Zero free throw attempts for Parker and Jennings, and just one combined for Jennings and Bogans on a night when the big men played their size and so did the guards.

(sidenote: I hope Jennings is still in Milwaukee by the time he starts getting calls...)

46-29. The Bucks entered tonight's game ranking second in the NBA allowing opponents just 8.9 offensive rebounds per game. Not bad number, especially considering Andrew Bogut's absence the last few times out. But they really could have used the Aussie (and his 14.5/11.4 career averages against San Antone) in the paint tonight. The Spurs hauled in 13 offensive boards, and stunned Milwaukee with a 46-29 advantage on the glass overall.

1. The Bucks actually made one more field goal (41-40) than the Spurs, but San Antonio made up for it on three-pointers (10-7) and especially -- get this -- at the free throw line (22-9).

Three Good

Won one already. This is why the Memphis win comes in so handy. Two wins on this road trip would be nice, but not exactly probable.

Worth watching. The second quarter notwithstanding, the Spurs pretty much had this one. In fact, it was merely a short, quick spurt that brought the Bucks all the way back from 15 points down to take a 50-49 halftime lead. Other than that the Spurs had their way.

But while this was the worst loss (by point margin) of the season, Milwaukee remains almost inherently watchable anyway, and we both know that hasn't always been the case. As long as you didn't think they would play .727 ball the rest of the year, there is a lot to look forward to.

Redd returns. I know, he was bad. Okay, epically bad. And that will be detailed. But it is nice to have him back in the fold, even if you don't believe that, even if it was a game too soon...

Three Bad

Michael's misfires. As I walked into the Bradley Center a couple hours before the game on Friday against Charlotte, I noticed Michael Redd shooting hoops. He made a couple jumpers, and I stopped to watch. Then he made 11 more in a row. I counted.

Open, uncontested jumpers in a gym, sure, but crisp shots full of net.

But three nights later, he wasn't ready for it. Redd dribbled almost directly out of bounds on first possession in three weeks. He followed that with a far-off three-pointer. He was blocked. He turned the ball over. He fouled on a three and gave up a four-point play to Keith Bogans. He missed five out of six free throws. And that is what a -17 in 11 minutes looks like.

Killer B's. Bonner, Blair, Bogans: The stuff of legends, so Milwaukee made it seem. Bonner was the anti-Michael Redd tonight, with every shot from every angle falling promptly into the basket. The Red Rocket blasted the Bucks over and over and over and thrice more times over from outside, hitting 6-8 threes and all three free throws, for 23 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Not a lot of wins to be had for opponents when that happens.

DeJuan Blair bullied his way to eight boards (three more than any Bucks had) in 16 minutes as San Antonio won the bench battle decisively, which really ought to happen. Still tough to watch though.

And Keith Bogans, old friend, effectively ended the game with a four-point play followed by a reverse layup in the fourth quarter after the Bucks had cut the lead to ten at 95-85. Just like that, it was 16, and it was over.

Defense. Even as Milwaukee mounted a furious second quarter rally to lead by a point at halftime, they never consistently locked down defensively. The 15-2 streak was brilliant, but in happened in a flash, and the Bucks still gave up 26 points in that quarter. Ginobili was out and Parker was off, and the Spurs still dropped 112 with ease.

"Out of 48 minutes, we had about five good minutes of defense," Skiles said.

The Spurs are an efficient offensive unit, fifth best in the NBA before the game according the pregame notes. Even through a spotty start to their season, they have scored. And when Bonner goes all mid-1990's Glen Rice on you, it is draining to play defense. But the Bucks sure looked drained out there a few times, and that's unusual.

Bucks/Thunder on ESPN this Friday

Alex Boeder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:16:28 -0000

Last night's win in Memphis pushed the Bucks to 8-3, and people are officially taking notice outside of Milwaukee: The team announced today that the Bucks/Thunder game this Friday, November 27, will be televised on ESPN. The game will now start at 8:30 central time. It will also be on FSN-HD.

The Bucks were recently the team to lose nationally televised games (remember the New Orleans game last February?), not gain them.

The times, they are a-changin'.

Recap: Bucks 95, Bobcats 88

Alex Boeder — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:54:19 -0000

[Redd getting ready, but not needed tonight. More winning times on media row.]

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - In Brandon we trust.

That's the verdict, right?

If you weren't already convinced, this game made you want to vote early and vote often.

Playing without both Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut for the first time, Brandon Jennings carried new responsibility. But the result was the same: He can play just fine without anyone or anytwo, and he play just fine with anyone or anyfour.

This was his team tonight. Game 10 as an NBA'er, and we already knew that this was his team tonight before, during, and after. True, true, true.

Eschewing his usual "wait until after halftime to go nuts" routine, Jennings spun 17 quick points in the first quarter, leaving fans incredulous (again), leaving Charlotte behind and gasping for air, and leaving no doubt whether he can carry an NBA team.

That fast start was just what the thinned-out Bucks needed. And it was quite an opening show to watch for Michael Jordan, who sat in the real, live crowd, and not in a suite.

Jennings made his presence known awfully fast, but he didn't even know MJ was looking on until after halftime.

"No, I didn't. Not before (halftime). I was wondering who everyone was clapping for, so I had to peek up there a little bit during the timeout, and there he was," Jennings said.

Hard to believe, but in Brandon I trust.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. Just twenty years old, and he's not just bringing the ball up the floor. Jennings leads his mates, each and every night. Milwaukee needed the scoring, they needed it badly considering the absence of not only Redd and Bogut but also Mbah a Moute. And the Bucks never looked back after that first quarter highlight show, which featured three triples.

The Nets pressured and trapped Jennings into a bad kind of career high last game: eight turnovers. The Bobcats attempted a similar defensive philosophy at times, but Young Buck was supercool under pressure. And wow, what pressure he was under. Tasked with scoring, creating, and distributing, Jennings committed just two turnovers while having a hand in most everything during a game-controlling 39 minutes.

He led everyone with 29 points and 7 assists. That's a lot of leading, but even more important perhaps is that Jennings is a leader on the floor. He leads through skill, but also by example: In the third quarter he missed a jumper, but then jumped in front of Raymond Felton to draw a charge. He didn't get the call, but he sure cares, and he is going to make a lot more people care in this city.

Oh, and for those worried about the return of Redd, do you trust in Brandon?

"Michael Redd should be back Wednesday, so that will give us another piece, and I'm really happy he'll back," Jennings said.

Ersan Ilyasova. Starting for the second time in a row, Ilyasova started off the game by doing just what we are hoping and beginning to expect: burying jumpers, defending, and rebounding.

He made 2-3 from outside even against a smallish Charlotte lineup that could keep up. He hit all three from the line too, and that's important stuff in a game when Milwaukee was easily outpaced at the free throw line again. Ilyasova packed 13/7 in 24 minutes.

Kurt Thomas. This honor could go to a few others, but Thomas deserves kudos for stepping up in the absence of Bogut. Thomas, who despite seeming precisely like a Scott Skiles kind of guy, entered the game with almost as many DNP-CD's (4) as games played (5).

In dire need of low-post help, Thomas delivered off the bench with 4 points and 7 rebounds (4 offensive). And don't look now (okay, do look), but he has strung together consecutive games shooting 2-2 and is 6-7 on the year. He can step and hit that side jumper. Back to those four offensive boards...

Three Numbers

2. Without Bogut and Mbah a Moute, you might think the Bucks would have trouble protecting the glass. Not so much. The Bobcats pulled in two offensive rebounds (half as many as Kurt Thomas) on 29 missed shots tonight.

0. Charlie Bell has not turned the ball over in the last two games, 31 minutes each. Solid. He's not an offensive force, in fact he is hardly passable as a scoring threat these days, but Bell keeps the ball moving and takes care of it while doing so.

17. The Bobcats shot 26-43 from the stripe. Those 17 misses sting in a seven point loss. Still, the Bucks can't depend on teams to misfire like that from the line.

Three Good

Home cooking: A nice theme with Thanksgiving less than a week away.

Typically it's a major problem when you lose your star guard before the start of your first homestand of a season; a problem compounded when you lose your star post player during your first homestand of a season.

In fact, that's a devilish recipe for counting down until draft day by December. So you would think. Instead the Bucks finished a positively rousing 13 days at the BC with a win and 5-1 record on the homestand. And the only loss was against a top-tier Mavs team at the buzzer in overtime. Pretty amazing stuff, and hopefully it is catching on: the 15,578 on hand marked the largest crowd since the home opener.

Coast to coast. Almost. Charlotte went up 3-0 to start and that was that. The Bucks ran off seven straight points and led from then on. It's okay to only be ahead for 1:11 if it's the final 1:11 of the game. But the Bobcats led for the first minute and eleven seconds and trailed for the next 46:49.

A surprisingly authoritative, clear-cut win, given the circumstances.

Bench. Hakim Warrick began his night by inbounding the ball to Raymond Felton, problematic foremost because Felton plays for the Bobcats. Shortly thereafter, Warrick was stuffed by Derrick Brown. Yeah, Derrick Brown. And with that, I was a bit worried about Warrick, who has been uneven at best the last week.

He recovered nicely though, adding 16 points and 9 rebounds in a sixth man role off the bench. Warrick was on the floor in the fourth quarter as the Bobcats were close enough that a slip-up could have cost Milwaukee the win. But Warrick didn't slip up, slotting 7 points in the final quarter. And he made 6-7 overall at the line, an amazing sum on this team.

Thomas was good, as previously mentioned. And Ridnour (8 points, 3 assists in 17 minutes) was quietly effective again. Jodie Meeks (team leading +12 differential) continues to play assertive ball, and thankfully a couple of his long-range efforts fell in tonight. For a team with seemingly little depth after injuries, 36 points off the bench is rather remarkable.

Three Bad

Hanging around. Yeah, it sort of feels good to be able to complain about not "thoroughly closing out" a "lesser" team in the fourth quarter, but that's just where we are. So while it's luxurious to entertain such a notion, it doesn't take away the fact that it's true, and in the end, a complaint nonetheless. The Bobcats drew to within 93-85 with just over two minutes, as Milwaukee controlled but didn't completely put away the game in the second half.

Sad Francisco. Elson struggled about as much as you can struggle in two minutes. One offensive rebound followed by some sort of seemingly uncontested floating hook shot that barely drew iron from a couple feet away preceded a fadeaway airball. With Bogut out for a while, it would be nice to get something positive from Elson, particularly when the Bucks will need his size against bigger teams.

Free. Not to belabor the point, but the Bucks can't give folks some many free shots. Luckily, the Bobcats also fit into this Bad with their inaccuracy (60.4 %) at the free throw line.

Recap: Bucks 99, Nets 85

Alex Boeder — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:35:39 -0000

[Above: Delfino planting and scheming for a corner three. It's good.]

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - These were supposed to be two of the worst teams in the conference, in the NBA, maybe in the world judging by the preseason prognosticators. But only one team looked the part of miserable in the first half.

And it wasn't the 0-11 Nets.

It was the Bucks who looked like the team playing the second night of a back-to-back in the opening two quarters. It was the Bucks who handed the Nets the confidence of an 11-0 team. And it was the Bucks who made Terrence Williams look like Tracy McGrady circa 2003.

But like many games this season, it was also the Bucks who pushed to another level in the second half, offensively and defensively, both. Brandon Jennings heated up with a couple threes and a two-handed dunk out of halftime while Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino maintained their fine first half offensive form. The points poured quickly, but better yet was the defense: Milwaukee gave up just two points in over five minutes to start the second half and only allowed 12 in the third quarter.

What a relief. What a great relief that the Bucks really are so clearly better than the worst of the league, a backhanded compliment but something we couldn't be too sure of less than a month ago or at about 8:00 p.m. central time tonight.

Down early, good teams wouldn't worry much against an outfit like the present-day Nets. But these are the Bucks, and we just don't know. Or didn't know. So just as we all are contemplating just how good Jennings can be someday, it's also time to consider how good the Bucks are right now:

Not bad, at least.

Three Bucks

Andrew Bogut. Going into the game you had to figure that if the Nets were to win, then Brook Lopez had to outplay Bogut, if not dominate him. As you saw, the Nets have a few other nice players, but not nearly enough to sustain a lead for a full 48 minutes.

Thankfully Bogut asserted himself right away, even while most of teammates didn't follow suit. He scored the first basket of the game and totaled 10 points in the first quarter. And Lopez played only a very minor role in New Jersey's early success, finishing the half with just three points, and finishing the game with just 11/4.

Bogut wasn't sensational tonight; nobody in this game for either side was. But he wins top with honors for 21 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, and 1 decisive win in the key individual matchup of the game.

Carlos Delfino. With Luc Mbah a Moute sidelined with a foot injury, Delfino started and made a quick case for more starts even when the team is at full strength. This was Delfino's finest game as a Buck, any way you slice it. Along with Bogut he kept the Bucks just barely afloat in the first half, finally showing off the soft touch from outside that heard about this offseason but rarely saw in the first few weeks.

Deflino made 4-8 on threes and 3-3 at the line, tying Bogut for the team-lead with 21 points. Not a bad output for someone who hadn't cracked double digits prior to the game. The Argentinian was confident with the ball and even a playmaker, handing out six assists.

Luke Ridnour. For the third game in a row, Ridnour was a key element off the bench. To say he's been overshadowed by Jennings early on is an understatement, but he is so far thriving out of the starting spotlight. His shooting accuracy is markedly improved this season, and tonight's 7-11 performance was one of his best yet.

The game against Dallas was all about the bench, but tonight Ridnour was the bench. Besides the slow start, the starters played well, but Ridnour was the only plus off the bench as Warrick, Meeks, and Gadzuric best kept out of the way.

Three Numbers

+95. Combined differential of the five Bucks starters. Nice.

12. Chris Douglas-Roberts made more free throws (12) than the Bucks (11). Not nice.

37. The Nets comfortably glided to 48 first half points, and it seemed plausible that the Bucks would not only allow 100+ for the fifth straight game, but allow 100+ to the worst offensive unit in the NBA. But they clamped down a fair bit in the second half and gave up just 37, seven of which came in the last couple minutes at the line.

Three Good

The third. "Guys sit around for 15 minutes and all of a sudden the ball is inbounded, and if you can be ready to play at that moment, sometimes you can catch a team on their heels a little bit and seize the momentum," Skiles said after the game.

Since the Knicks game, the Bucks have run off four straight third quarter beauties, including tonight's 28-12 ruination that began 15-0 in favor of Milwaukee. The Bucks battled their way back into the game in the third against Dallas, outscored Denver in the third to provide a much-needed cushion entering the fourth, and maybe you remember what happened against Golden State right after halftime.

Answering the Bell. Michael Redd, he's not. Charlie Bell, starting shooting guard, attempted one shot in 31 minutes tonight. Two points. But he contributed in other areas, maybe not enough to make Three Bucks, but 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and not a single turnover worked. And he's (rather quietly) filled in for Redd well.

Bell (+14 tonight) has boasted a positive differential in seven of eight games this season, tops on the team. And while his areas of strength are quite a contrast to those of Redd, he is jiving well with the first string right now.

At the point. This is already covered a bit above considering Jennings and Ridnour both made Three Bucks, but with all of the offseason drama at the position, the Bucks sure are getting some excellent point guard play so far. (And one more Good, while we are on the subject of point guards: Chris Duhon made a shot tonight. He really, truly did make a shot, and in just 35 minutes, in the process tripling his number of made field goals in the last 140 minutes to three.)

Three Bad

Slow start. This was at home, and against the Nets. So it worked out. A wretched first quarter didn't even harm the Bucks on the road in Minneapolis. But that was against the Timberwolves, who are sort of the Western Conference's version of the Nets.

Milwaukee trailed by 11 in the first half tonight following what was probably their worst 16 minutes in a row of the season.

"You fall behind decent teams, good teams, it's very difficult to come back," Skiles said.

True. New Jersey = not decent. San Antonio = good. The trend of uninspiring starts, if continued, will soon (next week to be exact, starting with a date in San Antonio) become a problem they can't recover from.

Milwaukee-connected Nets. Actually, ex-Buck Bobby Simmons (8 points, 4 rebounds in 25 minutes) was alright, but even he cooled off and had three turnovers. Meanwhile, 2007 lottery pick Yi Jialian (knee) and 'Tosa East star Devin Harris (groin) were helpless in the cause for New Jersey's first win, and former Buck point man Rafer Alston suffered a 1-10 shooting night and racked up a single assist in 32 minutes.

Not only that, but according to Jennings in the locker room post-game, Young Buck jammed his finger in Alston's jersey ("It wasn't that bad," said Jennings) and Simmons kneed him in the leg.

Crowd. Officially 13,479, unofficially not nearly enough for a team actually playing some serious ball right now.

Game 9: Nets/Bucks

Alex Boeder — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:39:08 -0000

Last January: Ridnour, for the win.

2009/2010 NBA Season
	@
0-11 (0-6 road)		5-3 (4-1 home)
November 18th, 2009
Bradley Center
7:00 PM
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FS Wisconsin
Probable starters:
Rafer Alston	PG	Brandon Jennings
Chris Douglas-Roberts	SG	Charlie Bell
Trenton Hassell	SF	Carlos Delfino
Terrence Williams	PF	Hakim Warrick (?)
Brook Lopez	C	Andrew Bogut

(30th) 92.2 - OFFENSE - 104.3 (20th)
(12th) 103.2 - DEFENSE - 99.9 (5th)
(23rd) 91.5 - PACE - 94.9 (8th)

Click for the preview in words and pictures...

UPDATE: Luc Mbah a Moute is out with a sprained left foot. Listed day-to-day.

Due? Yes, the Nets remain winless precisely three weeks after their opener. They are struggling at this sport, but they will win a game, probably sooner rather than later. Even a club with an unsightly -10.27 point differential is bound to come out on top eventually, and they have come quite close. On the same night Brandon Jennings went for a drive to 55, the Nets almost scored their first win of the season in South Beach against the hot, hot Heat. New Jersey made just 30-70 (.429) from the field and had more turnovers (12) than assists (11), but Miami still needed a game-winning buzzer beater from Dwyane Wade to prevail. Another loss last night in Indy, which means Jersey is even more worrisomely due.
There's no "O" in New Jersey Nets. Plenty of E's though: effusively embarrassing? The Bucks refocused defensively a bit in the second half against Dallas. After allowing 33 points in each of the first two quarters on Monday, they gave up just 19 in the both the third and fourth quarters. After facing some serious offensive firepower the last few games, Milwaukee welcomes the worst offensive team in the NBA into town tonight. Brook Lopez (who piled up 26/16 and 5 blocks last night in a loss to Indiana) is the most capable of the current bunch, and he worked the Bucks in his rookie season, averaging 16.0 points on 68.4 % from the field in four games. That all came sans Andrew Bogut, but we'll need a better effort early by the Aussie than he brought against Drew Gooden on Monday. Chris Douglas-Roberts (27/12/3 last night) is a hooper, which everyone except NBA scouts (he went 40th two draft ago, just a few spots after Mbah a Moute) seemed to realize. The Nets sorely miss Devin Harris, who is coincidentally sore himself, sidelined with a sore groin. After keeping their first four opponents under the century mark, the Bucks have allowed at least 100 points in each of the past four; though pace is a factor in that equation. In any event, time to start a new under-100 streak, or we unofficially, officially have a problem.
You might want to direct Chris Douglas-Roberts to the right. Fair assessment?

Coverage

Nets Daily / Nets Are Scorching / New York Times

Recap: Mavericks 115, Bucks 113

Alex Boeder — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:57:47 -0000

[A first loss at the Bradley Center for the Bucks, a first loss on media row. But a classic in its own right.]

Box Score

MILWAUKEE - This one drained me something terrible. Dirk's improbable game-winner was really probably probable, because it was Dirk's game-winner. Yet it still drained me, yes, it drained the whole stadium of all the life, excitement, hope, and pride.

And you know what? That's okay.

It could only be so draining because there was so very much life, excitement, hope, and pride in the first place.

That's novel, but it's fast becoming a trend this season at the Bradley Center, where the Bucks lost for the first time in five games, on a soft bounce from a tough German. Just as many have.

At halftime, this game appeared like more of a classic beatdown than a straight-up classic. The Bucks allowed 33 points in successive quarters and trailed by 12 points after a shoddy final few minutes before halftime. That marked the Mavericks' biggest lead of the game, and it quickly grew from there -- Dallas stretched its advantage to 74-56 early in the third quarter.

And then the defense kicked in. And the threes fell in. And Brandon Jennings played like it was a revolution, or just the second half of an NBA game -- one in the same these days.

A pair of point guards led Milwaukee all the way back from down 18 points to lead 104-102 after a running jumper by Jennings with 45 ticks in regulation. And the Bucks had two chances to win on the final possession after Jason Terry evened the score. But Ridnour and Jennings, the point guards who led the charge, both missed in the waning seconds. Jennings' chance for redemption came up short in overtime when he missed another three, and then Dirk showed how good offense can still beat good defense on a prodigious, arcing, sorry-Milwaukee, game-winner.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. Young Buck threw quite a party over the weekend at the Bradley Center, dropping a shiny 55 on Golden State. So perhaps you can forgive his early-game shooting hangover: Jennings went to the locker room at halftime with four points, having missed seven of his first eights shots from the field.

And perhaps it will be easier to forgive him after he drilled four mammoth three-pointers in the second half en route to a "when-did-he-become-the-top-scorer?" 25 points -- even if he did miss on a couple chances to bury the Mavericks. And that he did. In both regulation and overtime, Jennings tried threes to win, a better than 50/50 shot so far this year for the rookie. So while he missed, I like his attitude, and would like to see him try again in the near future.

"I'm kind of taking this one to the heart, because I feel it's my fault that we didn't win that game," Jennings said.

I'm kind of taking this one to the heart, but I don't feel it's Jennings' fault they didn't win that game. Not after this line: 25/8/7 and 4/9 from outside with two turnovers. Just another day in the life of a 20 year-old NBA point guard.

Ersan Ilyasova. Dirk Nowitzki entered tonight's game with an NBA-best +134 differential, and he added 13 more to that in a showstopping performance. But Ersan led everyone in the game with a +18 differential, well-earned in 32 minutes of scoring, rebounding, defending, screen-setting, and three-point shooting.

After uninspiring performances by a couple starters, Scott Skiles spoke of considering changes after again Bucks fared poorly with the first unit in the first quarter, saying, "We'll look at the lineup."

Ilyasova racked up 19/12/2 and made 4/9 from deep as he continues to play far better at home than on the road thus far. Whether he starts or not going forward, Ersan's earned steady minutes.

Luke Ridnour. Similar to the Warriors game a couple nights before, the Mavericks utilized some effective small-ball lineups, even employing three point guards (and at least many J's) at once in Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Jose Juan Barea. So it was key for Ridnour to play well enough to stay on the court. That he did.

Ridnour has nice form, which might lead people to believe he is a better shooter than he really is. But it sure just seems like all is right when the shots go in, like three from beyond the arc did late in the third quarter when the Bucks were teetering between staying close and not.

The Mavericks have some serious point guards on the roster, including one who will be in the Hall of Fame, one who represents Point Guard U in all the best ways, and another who only stands six feet generously but made three triples. And they threw all of them at the Bucks -- at the same time no less. Still the Bucks stacked up well tonight, with not only Jennigns, but Ridnour, who was impactful both offensively (17 poitns and 3/4 from outside) and defensively (4 steals).

Three Numbers

67.6 %. After giving up 125 points in 48 minutes to the Warriors, you had to figure the Bucks would refocus defensively out of the gates against Dallas. Not so much. The Mavericks made 25/37 from the field in the first half. To put that in perspective, in the first half the Mavericks were hotter than Brandon Jennings against the Warriors, who made 21/34 (61.7 %) from the field. Please don't make me compare your defense unfavorably to that of Golden State's, team.

17. He's still doing it. Jason Kidd may not have made a two-point field goal or a free throw. Okay, he didn't. But 17 assists, 10 boards, 9 points, 3/4 on three-pointers, and one way or another the 36 year-old is still doing his thing.

+51. Not to get too into this differential statistic, but Milwaukee's bench boasted a +51 tonight. On that note...

Three Good

The bench. Jennings was good and Bogut was okay, though we've obviously seen better from both recently. Other than that, the bench badly outplayed the starters.

The aforementioned Ilyasova and Ridnour were nothing short of excellent, and Luc Mbah a Moute not only guarded everyone (yes, Dirk hit the shot over him, but that was a testament to Dirk's greatness), he provided a lift offensively with 13 points and made his only three. And when Mbah a Moute is contributing offensively, well, that can mean Hakim Warrick starts but lasts just 12 minutes on the court. The Prince came off the bench, but no Buck played more than his 42 minutes.

Dan Gadzuric matched up well defensively and scored an absurd +15 differential in nine minutes while hauling in three offensive rebounds and blocking a couple shots. Even Kurt Thomas made both of his shots in four minutes. Great stuff from the second string.

Dallas in November. Two Novembers ago, the Mavericks came into town. They were an awfully good team, with Josh Howard in his prime, Devin Harris moving into his, and Dirk Nowitzki fesh off an MVP award. The Bucks, undefeated at the Bradley Center and having won four in a row (sound familiar maybe?) overall were on a high. And they stormed Dallas with a signature 96-94 win to keep the good times rolling.

Those were your first-place Bucks. The same ones who finished 26-56.

These are not. The Cavs are leading the Central (as well they should be) after the Bucks were unable to stay undefeated at home, unable to win five in a row, unable to beat the Mavericks. And that is okay too. Because I don't think they are going to go 26-56 this time around either.

Call it a comeback. Early in the third quarter, I was all like "At least I made it to this game, sarcastic-sarcastic." That's because I didn't report at the Warriors game on Saturday, which made the seemingly hopeless match against the Mavericks even more frustrating. I missed an incredible, historical game, and then came back to this? Well, Brandon Jennings and Milwaukee made this one special too, even in a loss. And there is more.

Three Bad

So close. Not to get ahead of ourselves (well, yes, precisely to get ahead of ourselves) but the Bucks have a real chance of beating both New Jersey (0-6 away) and Charlotte (0-5 away) this week at home. After three straight wins and before two lesser foes to open the homestand, the Bucks almost had this most difficult test in the win column too -- a couple different times.

Disconcerting defense. Well, allowing 66 points in the first half after giving up 68 in the second half of the previous game seems a risky way to protect the home court for a "defensive" team.

The bottom line. Or just the free throw line. This could have gone in Three Numbers, but the trend is disturbing enough to earn its own Bad.

The discrepancy at the free throw line wasn't tremendous tonight; the Mavericks made 17 compared to 11 for the Bucks. But Milwaukee proved once again that they can neither get to the line (entered the game fifth from last averaging 21.6, which has obviously gone down) or make them with any sort of consistency once they get there (entered the game dead last in the NBA at 69.5 %, which again is on the way down). Milwaukee made just 11-17 from the stripe, and despite the bushels of points and five extra minutes, only Jennings made more than two free throws for Milwaukee. And he was just 5-8.

The Bucks needed 55 from Jennings to eke out a home win over an average-at-best Warriors team, and they couldn't top the Mavericks despite making 14/27 from long range. That's doing it the hard way, and I'm still awfully leary of depending on great shooting nights from this bunch. Have to get to that line.

Recap: Bucks 108 Nuggets 102

Alex Boeder — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:06:33 -0000

Box Score

[Another night on media row, another win.]

MILWAUKEE - Raise your hand (click your mouse?) if you would have believed me before tip-off tonight if I said that the Bucks would lead the entire second half against the Nuggets. Quiet, much?

For the second game in a row, the Bucks led for every second, every minute, and every Brandon Jennings highlight of the of the final two quarters. Only this time Milwaukee actually accomplished this against a registered NBA club (I kid you, Knicks fans).

Unlike the previous game, the Bucks were pushed, quite figuratively and literally, all the way to end by a feisty Nuggets team. But much like the game before, they frustrated and ultimately outplayed their opponent.

Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings sang in perfect inside-outside, early-game, late-game harmony in one of the most impressive Bucks wins in a great while.

So click your mouse below for more.

Three Bucks

Brandon Jennings. This was supposed to be Young Buck's first real (like, for real, for real) point guard test. And judging by the result, it won't be long before we are talking about young Buck opponents having their first real test against Jennings.

In his first career matchup against Mr. Big Shot, it was the the 20 year-old who wasn't supposed to be able to shoot who made the biggest shots of the game. Jennings poured in 14 points in a scintillating fourth quarter performance. And the fashion with which he stole the show reminded of Billups at his best: Jennings stuck two straight three-pointers with under five minutes to play and sunk six straight no-sweat free throws to close out another win.

Jennings played his best game against the best team and best point guard he has ever played against. He was the scoring point guard (32 points), the distributor extraordinaire (9 assists), and even the shooting specialist (11-19 from the field, 2-2 from outside, 8-8 from the line). In short, he was everything. Again.

Andrew Bogut. Just like against the Knicks, the tone of the game was set by a focused and determined Bogut. Both offensively and defensively. Facing a far meatier (and again, star calibar) starting center tonight, Bogut more than simply asserted himself in the first quarter. He threw down 13 points in the opening quarter by gaining great position in the post against Nene and then using a series of hooks and quick releases to finish against the Brazilian.

Bogut was truly excellent on the offensive end, converting 10-15 from the field for 23 points. But equally important was that he anchored a defensive effort against a very skilled team. The four blocked shots rightfully stick out, but he also played a major role in frustrating Carmelo Anthony (even picking up a double-technical with 'Melo) whenever the Nuggets star came into the lane.

Offense, defense, overall... brilliant.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. You know it's a good sign when the Bucks face a star small forward and Mbah a Moute makes the Three Bucks.

Carmelo Anthony will not be upset to leave Milwaukee. The dynamic scorer actually ticked up his points per game average after finishing with 32, but not as much as his 7 turnovers will increase his average in that department. Not everything is rising for Anthony though. A 9-25 shooting night will have a declining effect on his field goal percentage.

And yes, this was team defense. Scott Skiles will tell you that. The Prince will tell you that himself. They already did.

"It's not a personal thing, it's a whole team thing. You've got to have your teammates come in there and help, come in and block shots when they go to the basket," Mbah a Moute said.

But the Prince, who came into the game only after about four minutes on the bench, was the driving force behind Anthony's struggles. And to be clear, this wasn't a case of Carmelo simply having a "bad shooting night." No, he missed shots because when he shot jumpers, a hand or two was in his face. And when he came into the lane, he came into it with limbs draped around the basketball.

Anthony shot 7-20 in his individual matchup with Mbah a Moute, which Jeremy from Bucksketball diligently tracked while I was officially in charge of charting the incredible Chris Duhon anti-shot-making world phenomenon on this evening.

Yes, all the things you feared were mistaken perception about his game; they were on bright, real display tonight. This line is so Mbah a Moute: 10 points, 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 steals, 1 block.

Three Numbers

88.0 %. Brandon Jennings shot quickly, confidently, and only through the net to ice the game at the line, and his 8-8 effort led the way. But how about Bogut nailing 3-3 on the heels of a perfect night at the line against the Knicks? Or the bench tandem of Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute both making each of their four attempts? That's how you hold on against an elite opponent. All in all, 22-25 (.880) from the line. Well done.

27-26-28-27. A lot of offensive quarter-consistency: The Bucks scored 27, 26, 28, and 27 points in the four quarters tonight.

4. Carmelo Anthony had four shots blocked by the Bucks, along with seven turnovers in 43 minutes.

Three Good

Rocky Mountain High. Just two games above .500, and yet this feels like two million kilometers above sea level. With few expectations even before the crushing disappointment of Michael Redd's injury, the Bucks now stand -- get this -- in first place in the Central Division. You are free to party like it's November 11.

Home is where a good start is. Since he didn't make Three Bucks due to a relative glut of deserving candidates, let's start with Ersan Ilyasova. Spain was far away, but Ilyasova has looked very much at home back in Milwaukee so far. After going for 17/8 tonight, he is now averaging 10.6 points and 9.0 rebounds at the Bradley Center this season. That's compared to his 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in three games away.

Ilysasova racked up those 17 points on an inappropriately efficient 5/8 shooting from the field, and in just 21 minutes. Like Jennings, he didn't miss a three (3-3) or free throw (4-4).

And so the Bucks moved to 3-0 at the Bradley Center, where 12,987 fans were increasingly delighted as the night progressed. The atmosphere inside is very positive, and it looks like Milwaukee might have more of a home court advantage than in years.

Fourth quarter fortitude. The Nuggets might be championship contenders. The Nuggets are absolutely a very good team.

So after a Nene dunk and Billups layup brought them to within 91-90, holding on to a one point lead for the last 4:24 seemed a mighty intimidating chore. But the Bucks didn't fold, no, they saved the best for last on this eve'. Jennings buried a pair of three-pointers in between misses by Billups, Anthony, and Nene. Still Denver wasn't done, as Billups and Smith nailed three-pointers of their own.

But everyone stepped up with the game on the line. Jennings, most obviously. Bogut, with a jumper and more good defense. Ilyasova, with three straight free throws. Mbah a Moute with a huge offensive rebound. What a fourth quarter, even if it was the only quarter the Bucks didn't win.

Three Bad

Foul fest. This was a chippy affair, with an even 50 fouls altogether. Anthony and Bogut (undeservedly as far as I could tell) picked up a double-technical after a skirmish. Kenyon Martin was hit with a technical, and the third quarter got a bit silly at times, with each foul for each team starting its own little controversy.

High turnover. A somewhat ungood 18 turnovers tonight, including five of the Charlie-Bell-variety. Post-game, Scott Skiles noticed: "We're on a four game little turnover tear, so we've got to get that corrected." Well, only 11 in a loss against Chicago, but then 19, 20, 18 on the winning streak. Living on the edge here in Milwaukee.

No double-header. That was a serious ending. Jennings finished like he was just getting started. Saturday is a long wait after a game like this.

Recap: Bucks 102, Knicks 87

Alex Boeder — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:29:17 -0000

Box Score

[For nights that I report at the game on media row, like tonight, a photo.]

MILWAUKEE - The New York Knicks tonight continued their six-month national tour benefitting a positive cause: bringing cheer to dozens of cities across the country. The benefactor on this evening was the Milwaukee Bucks organization and the 15,486 strong at the Bradley Center. So, thanks for that.

In just the type of game that the Bucks need to win if they are to be taken at all seriously, the Bucks won. And they won big. At least as big as the final scoreline; probably bigger. Milwaukee led by 30 at halftime, and while New York shaved that lead in half by the end, they never really were in the game after the first quarter.

The Bucks were positively tyrannical to the Knicks in the first quarter, owning every bit and every facet of the game to stake a 40-22 lead. Really powerful stuff, and it continued that way for a while. Active, aware, team defense and criminally good shooting. A lot to be happy about, even if the second half usually felt more about waiting to win than anything else.

Three Bucks

Jodie Meeks. By virtue of being a second-round Bucks draft pick, it was only a matter of time before Meeks did this. Following in the footsteps of Michael Redd and Ramon Sessions and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and So On and So Forth, Meeks made a mighty nice impression and gave reason to think that the good second round vibes are still, well, good second round vibes.

After looking mostly out of sorts in 21 minutes over the span of the previous two games, the shooting guard played a bench-leading 27 minutes tonight. And he earned each one of them. Meeks sank his first three pointer as a Buck, a pure corner shot with a few minutes left in the first quarter. The form was nice as usual, only this time he was in form too. That we found out when he buried a couple more threes in the next couple minutes. And then, to beat the first quarter clock, another. First Bucks possession of the second quarter? Again. When you make 5-7 from outside, that's rightfully the focus; but Meeks did well in transition and defensively as well. A happy 19 points in a great sixth man role for this no longer end-of-the-bench rook'.

Ersan Ilyasova. There wasn't a certain play or moment that was the turning point of this game. Ersan Ilyasova was the turning point. It's sort of unbelievable considering how the first quarter ended, but the Knicks jumped on the Bucks 10-4. The Rooster did what all good roosters do, made mad three pointers, and allofasudden it looked like the Knicks were ready to D'Antoni the Bucks back more than a few notches in the defensive efficiency column.

Scott Skiles came to coach too, though, and offered as evidence that the Knicks weren't the only team prepared to utilize a sweet-shooting, European power forward. And so he subbed out the defensively guilty Hakim Warrick out barely two minutes into the game. Enter Ersan Ilyasova, who instantly impacted a little bit of everything, always in a good way. The poor start for Warrick and Milwaukee was really a blessing in disguise because this was a night that Ilyasova needed to see the floor, and not just viewing it from the bench.

And it's only a good thing that Ilyasova (0-2 on threes) didn't make his mark in his best game as a Buck in years by hitting shots from outside. No, he was aggressive, smart on both sides of the ball, and finished with 6 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. And he led everyone with a +21 differential in one of those games that the differential stat proved illuminating.

Andrew Bogut. Lots of heroes on a night like this, but Bogut really stood out from the beginning. I was optimistic that 'Drew would take it to the solid but undersized David Lee, who at 6-9 really shouldn't be playing center. Well, no Emo Bogut tonight, and that correlates pretty strongly to a Bucks win.

Bogut went 4-4 from the field in the game's first five minutes, keeping the Bucks afloat before Jodie Meeks and co. ever-so-accurately shot the team out of this world. And this wasn't one of those games when Bogut hit a couple shots early and then disappeared. He gained the team's attention, and they found him enough so that Bogut led all scorers with 22 points on 8-14 shooting. Speaking of Andrew Bogut and shooting, get... this...

Three Numbers

6. Andrew Bogut went 6-6 from the line. Like, the free throw line. Tall Andrew Bogut, basketball player for the Bucks, Andrew Bogut. I know many of you did not get the chance to watch the game and are probably skeptical when you see something like: Andrew Bogut 6-6 FT. Maybe not even skeptical, maybe you just assume it was an error in the box score and carry along happily because the Bucks won. But I was in the building, and those alleged free throws were legit. All six.

1. The Knicks missed many, many shots in the first half. They actually packed a tidy 25 misses into those 24 minutes. And with a quarter of a hundred opportunities for a second chance, New York managed to nab one offensive rebound in the first half. Just one.

.533. In the pregame back-and-forth, Scott Skiles remarked, "We beat the Knicks three times last year because we took away the three, we lost one time because we didn't." Well, the Knicks made 8-15 (.533) from deep, but the Bucks did so much else well (shooting, passing, drawing charges, etc.) that it didn't even matter.

Three Good

One Love. I didn't even mention it in the preview (other than noting the straight stat on top), but The ~~Scott Skiles Disciples~~ Bucks entered the game leading the NBA in defensive efficiency. First place, quite a feat even if only it was after four games. And in the face of a hot-shooting start by the up-tempo and offensively-capable Knicks, the Bucks allowed 35 first-half points. They gave up a few in the second half and that won't help, but they still held the Knicks to a season-low sum of 87. Number one on defense; love that. Let's get together and feeeeel alright.

27 Seconds. This game was filled with pretty shots (Jodie, looking in your direction), nice dunks (Hakim, nice comeback), and defensive hustle (thanks, you and you and...). Still there was a series of plays that didn't result in any points for the Bucks and in fact involved lots of missed shots worth truly celebrating: With nine minutes and change left in the game, Milwaukee hauled in four offensive rebounds in a row. This was rebounds from Mbah a Moute, Gadzuric, two from Ilyasova, and missed shots by Jennings, Meeks, Ilyasova, and Jennings again. Everyone on the floor for Milwaukee was a part of this. They didn't score and that's quite alright. One of the highlights of the game, for me. Four offensive rebounds in 27 seconds, just like that. Six offensive rebounds in 48 minutes, for the Knicks.

Bradley Center. The stadium came alive tonight. Happy fans are loud fans and there was a lot to cheer about. Really nice to be a part of that; to see, to hear, to feel the positive environment at the Bradley Center.

Three Bad

The revolution was not televised. Something of a shame that this was not shown on television because this was a fine night to watch the team. The good news (because on a night like this there is good even where there is bad) is that it will be more than a month (Dec. 19 versus Sacramento) before another game is not televised.

The Knicks. Sorry. But Coach D'Antoni might not disagree. This is the second game in a row that the Knicks have allowed 40 points in the first quarter. You can't make this stuff up. I mean, I could, but that would be awfully silly, and I didn't. After the game, the coach was a bit disappointed. There was this quote from D'Antoni post-game: "It seems like we've already played 55 games right now." And then this too: "It just seemed like they got into us, and we were four steps behind."

Duhon's Non-Scoringness. I noted in tonight's preview that starting point guard Chris Duhon didn't score in 39 minutes the last time out. Now, he did score infinitely times as many points tonight: He scored a point. 'Twas a free throw, and he shot 0-4 from the field with a -29 differential. So the actual Duhon Field Goal Watch (nearly 70 minutes, Jeremy at Bucksketball charts this streak) is still on. But the Knicks didn't really want Ramon Sessions or Brandon Jennings this summer.