Bobcats-Bucks Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Apr 05 2012 2:00PM

The Milwaukee Bucks have made strides toward joining the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference with help from a recent slate that's included some lackluster opponents.

Before their schedule gets tougher, the Bucks will try to take advantage of a visit from the woeful Charlotte Bobcats, losers of nine in a row, on Friday night.

After dropping three of four near the end of last month, Milwaukee (26-28) has gotten back on track with four wins in five games - three coming against teams with losing records. The Bucks fended off Cleveland 107-98 in the first of a season-high five straight home games Wednesday as Monta Ellis scored 16 of his team-best 30 points over the final 4:32.

"We knew coming into the game they were going to play hard all the way until the end," Ellis said. "There'll be games like that, and we just have to find a way to win. And we did."

Brandon Jennings also had 19 points to help make up for the absence of Drew Gooden due to back soreness. Ekpe Udoh, who came over with Ellis in the trade with Golden State on March 14, filled in for Gooden in the starting lineup, and had 11 points and eight rebounds.

It's unclear if Gooden will return Friday, but the Bucks might not need too much help against the struggling Bobcats (7-45).

Milwaukee has won 12 of 13 all-time home matchups, but Charlotte claimed a 96-95 victory in the season opener for both teams Dec. 26 at home. The Bucks, though, blew out the Bobcats 112-92 in Charlotte on March 23 as Brandon Jennings' 20 points led six players in double figures.

The Bobcats enter this game having dropped six in a row on the road, including a 120-93 rout by Atlanta on Wednesday.

Rookie guard Kemba Walker had 21 points in the losing effort and is challenging to take over an ailing D.J. Augustin's spot in the starting lineup.

"I was just trying to do whatever I can to help the team," Walker said. "But it wasn't enough."

Already dealing with tendinitis in his right knee, Augustin fell and hurt his left one during a 92-87 loss in Toronto on Tuesday and scored two points in 11 minutes against the Hawks.

Augustin had a team-best 19 points during the season-opening win over Milwaukee, while Jennings had 22 for the Bucks.

Jennings also had 32, including two free throws with six seconds left, during a 104-101 home victory over the Bobcats on Nov. 27, 2010. Jennings has averaged 22.4 points over his last five games against Charlotte but was held to 12 during last month's win in North Carolina.

The Bobcats' Gerald Henderson had a season-high 29 points during that loss and will try to help end a seven-game skid in Milwaukee.

After facing Charlotte, the Bucks will end their homestand against Portland, West-leading Oklahoma City and their rival for the eighth spot in the East, the New York Knicks.

Ellis, Jennings lead Bucks over Bobcats

Posted Apr 07 2012 12:37AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks got a tougher game than they may have expected from the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats.

Monta Ellis had 25 points and nine assists to lead the Bucks to a 95-90 victory over the scrappy Bobcats on Friday night.

Brandon Jennings scored 18 points, Mike Dunleavy added 15 and Ersan Ilyasova added 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Bucks, who won their third straight and fifth in the last six to pull within a game of the New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

"I told the guys I am not going home happy tonight," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "I don't think they should either. They should be disgusted by it."

Bryon Mullens scored a career-high 31 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds, becoming the first Bobcats player to score at least 30 points this season. Kemba Walker added 18 points, and Bismack Biyombo had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

"Milwaukee is just a really good team," Mullens said. "They're fighting for the playoffs.

"We just kept fighting. We didn't put our head down and give up like we used to during the middle of the season."

The Bobcats outrebounded the Bucks 57-45 and outscored them in the paint 46-42.

"Nothing against Mullens," Skiles said. "I mean he looked like Bill Russell out there. Defense was terrible."

Gerald Henderson, who finished with 14 points, turned a bad pass by Ilyasova into a layup that gave the Bobcats an 84-83 lead with 3:42 to play.

Ellis steadied the Bucks by making with two free throws before Jennings made a fast-break layup to push the lead and momentum back in Milwaukee's favor. Ellis made another layup and Jennings hit a 5-foot jump shot as the Bucks led 91-84 with 1:30 left.

"They needed this win more than we did," Mullens said after the Bobcats lost their seventh straight on the road and 10th consecutive overall.

Walker, starting for D.J. Augustin, had eight assists and Derrick Brown had 11 points and nine rebounds as the entire starting lineup scored in doubled figures.

Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera took an elbow to the head and left the game with with 10:56 left in the second quarter due to what the Bobcats said was a fractured frontal bone. Milwaukee's John Brockman tipped in his own miss, but inadvertently hit Najera, who was taken to Froedtert Hospital for a scan.

"It was bad, real bad," Bobcats head coach Paul Silas said.

The team had no further updates after the game, though Najera was on the team bus as it left the arena.

The Bucks led 80-70 midway through the fourth and seemed to be in control. The Bobcats, who kept the game close all four quarters, used a 12-3 run to pull to 83-82 with 4:37 left to play.

After Ellis missed a jumper, Henderson's layup put the Bobcats ahead for the first time since the first quarter. The lead was erased as Ellis and Jennings took over to prevent Milwaukee from losing to the Bobcats for the second time this season. The Bobcats beat the Bucks 96-95 in Charlotte on Dec. 26 in the season opener for both teams.

After a close first half, the Bucks opened the third quarter with a 17-4 surge and led 70-56 with 5:20 left in the period. The Bobcats came right back as Mullens' follow shot capped a 12-2 run to pull to 72-68 heading into the fourth.

Biyombo briefly left the court holding his right side in the first quarter. Larry Sanders stripped the ball from him and then raced toward the hoop for an uncontested slam. Biyombo caught up, but collided with Sanders as he went up. Both tumbled to the court. When Biyombo came up grimacing, holding his right side, Silas called a timeout with 6:37 left and sent him to the locker room. He returned and went back into the game with 2:52 to go.

The Bucks were without center Drew Gooden (back spasms) for a second consecutive game. Small forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was held out due to right knee tendinitis.

NOTES: Bobcats F Corey Maggette dressed, but still missed his fourth consecutive game with right Achilles tendinitis. ... Augustin's tendinitis in his right knee will likely keep him out a few more games. "He's really been struggling with his knee," Silas said before the game. "He's been playing and that's a problem. I just want him to stay out until he gets well. Then he can come back. It's too hard for him to keep playing and injuring that thing." ... Bucks F Carlos Delfino missed his sixth consecutive game with a right groin strain.

Notebook: Bucks 95, Bobcats 90

Posted Saturday April 7, 2012 12:32AM

By Rick Braun, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings split the points in a key 8-0 run in the final 3 1/2 minutes to help the Milwaukee Bucks escape with a sloppy but important 95-90 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night at the Bradley Center.

Ellis finished with 25 points, Jennings had 18 points and nine assists and Ersan Ilyasova had 12 points and 15 rebounds as the Bucks (27-28) pulled within a game of the New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Bobcats (7-46) lost their 10th straight game despite career-highs of 31 points and 14 rebounds by forward Byron Mullens in a career-high 42 minutes and 34 seconds of playing time. Rookie Kemba Walker added 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Charlotte.

QUOTABLE: "It depends on what your standard is as a human being. I think you can (be picky). I told the guys, 'I'm not going home happy tonight.' I don't think they should be either. I think they should be a little bit disgusted by it, and whatever they did to prepare today they need to do something different tomorrow."
-- Bucks head coach Scott Skiles when asked if his team could be picky about how they played while getting a needed victory.

THE STAT: Charlotte outshot and outrebounded Milwaukee, but the Bucks won because of a 27-12 advantage in points off turnovers. Milwaukee turned it over just 12 times while forcing the Bobcats into 20 miscues.

TURNING POINT: The Bucks were in danger of suffering a second loss to Charlotte (the Bobcats beat them in Charlotte on opening night) as they trailed, 84-83, after Gerald Henderson's steal and layup with 3:40 left. But Ellis went to the basket hard to earn two free throws, Jennings stole a Derrick Brown pass and went in for a layup, Ellis scored a reverse layup and Jennings scored on a runner in the lane. That 8-0 run made it 91-84 with 1:30 left and the Bobcats couldn't recover.

QUOTABLE II: "At a certain point, you have to have standards for yourself. You have to play to a certain standard, and we're just not doing that. I think we feel good that we won, because it counts in the win column, but we know that if we keep this up it's going to result in a lot of losses."
-- Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy on the team's play in badly needed victories the last two games against a Cleveland team that had lost nine straight and the struggling Bobcats, who lost their 10th straight.

HOT: Mullens made 14-of-23 shots for his career-high 31 points.

NOT: The starting backcourt of Henderson (4-for-13) and Walker (6-for-26) combined to go 10-for-39 for Charlotte.

GOOD MOVE: Bobcats head coach Paul Silas didn't have many players to go to with Corey Maggette and D.J. Augustin out, so when Mullens got a hot hand in the first half, Silas kept calling his number.

ROOKIE WATCH: Charlotte center Bismack Biyombo had a career-best 14 points and was one short of his career-high in rebounds with 14. He helped the Bobcats to a 57-45 edge on the boards.

QUOTABLE III: "Nothing against Mullens, but he looked like Bill Russell out there. Our preparation this morning wasn't good, we weren't good to start the game, our defense was terrible ... and we won. Yippee."
-- Skiles

NOTABLE: The Bucks played without regulars Drew Gooden (back), Carlos Delfino (groin) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (right knee tendinitis). Gooden and Delfino are starters, and Mbah a Moute was starting in Delfino's place before having to sit out. All three are day-to-day and will have their status for Saturday's game against Portland determined before the game. Shaun Livingston started at small forward and had four points, five rebounds and six assists in 20 minutes. ... After shooting 56.4 percent (22 for 39) in the first half, the Bobcats made just 14 of 46 shots (30.4 percent) in the second half. ... The Bucks are 20-8 all-time against the Bobcats, their best winning percentage (.714) against any opponent, including 13-1 at the Bradley Center... Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera hit heads with Bucks forward Jon Brockman and was sent to a local hospital for X-rays where it was learned he had a fracture of the frontal bone (forehead). Najera was released and is returning with the Bobcats tonight.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Saturday vs. Atlanta, Monday vs. Washington, Tuesday @ Cleveland. For the Bucks, Saturday vs. Portland, Monday vs. Oklahoma City, Wednesday vs. New York.

• Bobcats: Augustin
• Bucks: Brown, Delfino

• Bobcats: --
• Bucks: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #26 Pat Fraher, #33 Zach Zarba, #60 James Williams
• Attendance: 13374
• Duration: 2:13