Miami Heat

97

Final Recap | Box Score

105

Milwaukee Bucks

	Carlos Delfino, SF 20 MIN | 3-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 11 PTS | +10 Delfino played just two minutes and didn’t catch the brunt of Lebron’s first quarter explosion. I can’t say I saw Stephen Jackson do anything particularly bad on Lebron, I think it was more one of those times when a great player got into a zone. With Lebron, it takes a team effort and a lot of luck. It helps when ‘Bron isn’t necessarily the focus too. After the first it didn’t really seem like he was. Delfino probably deserves some credit for that, as he was hounding him off the ball and on. Oh, and Delfino chipped in three threes and 11 points. For a guy tasked with spending most of the night guarding the league’s best player, that’s a pretty terrific offensive contribution.
	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, SF 33 MIN | 6-7 FG | 1-4 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 13 PTS | +22 Starting on Bosh? Forcing Wade into step back threes after 24 seconds of dribbling? Blocking him on a drive into the paint? Spending the last part of the fourth quarter on Lebron after spending the majority of the game on Wade? All while tossing in 11 points and six rebounds? As if Mbah a Moute needed to do anything else to endear himself to Milwaukee fans as a defender and putbacks guy. This game was the prototype for all big defense little offense guys.
	Drew Gooden, PF 39 MIN | 7-12 FG | 3-4 FT | 9 REB | 5 AST | 17 PTS | +5 Scott Skiles had a smile on his face after the game when someone asked him about Drew Gooden’s strong outing. “I particularly like the Drew Gooden one man press break.” That’s so Drew Gooden. Apparently so is drawing fouls and so is battling and making some big plays late in games though too. All over the map.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 42 MIN | 9-25 FG | 6-8 FT | 4 REB | 8 AST | 31 PTS | +16 I’m not really the superstitious type. I know what I say isn’t actually going to impact the future. I know I can accept something and be confident if there’s enough data associated with it, it won’t stop being true. All that being said, I’m still nervous to just accept that Brandon Jennings is pretty good now. I don’t want to jinx it. He didn’t even shoot particularly well against the Heat in the fist half, but he was such a damn leader out there. And when the Bucks were working on a come back, he was doing his whole annoying (to the other team that is) swag thing. It’s so easy to look past that shooting line and at the times he poked the ball from Mario Chalmers or drew the offensive foul on D-Wade or stared down Norris Cole and just enjoy the heck out of this dude. Oh, and then he hit some huge shots too. Then he mugged it up. Then he took it a step further and blacked out for a while in the fourth. Or maybe that was me. Regardless. Everyone really enjoyed that.
	Mike Dunleavy, SF 26 MIN | 4-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 5 AST | 10 PTS | +5 He wasn’t quite as sharp a shooter as he was Monday, but Dunleavy played a big part in the Bucks all around strong offensive night. He made his share of shots, but maybe even more importantly, he moved the hell out of the ball. Monday he was a creative perimeter player, a quick decision maker and a good shooter. That’ll do.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 33 MIN | 4-14 FG | 1-2 FT | 14 REB | 3 AST | 9 PTS | +3 Athletically, Bosh is on another level that Ilyasova will never approach. In terms of effort, Ilyasova can battle with any player in the league though. It was another very typical Ilyasova kind of night. He led the Bucks in rebounding because he knows when he can keep battling and knows how to tip a ball to himself. His shot-selection was stellar as well.

Three Things We Saw

1. It would have been easy for the Bucks to check out after the Heat shot 80% and scored 40 points in the first quarter. I’ve seen Milwaukee do that to teams (no really, I swear I have) and pretty much put them away in the first. But the Bucks didn’t quit. There really wasn’t any reason to expect them to, I can’t remember the last time I saw them do that. It’s like the Bucks gatorade cooler is full of lemon lime laced with effort.
2. I’m sure you won’t feel bad for Jackson at this point, but it was almost like he was sacrificed in the first quarter. Lebron was unreal and Skiles brought Jax in as the first man off the bench when Delfino ran into foul trouble. Lebron proceeded to wear him out. Jackson would not return and Lebron wouldn’t stay quite so hot. I will not connect those dots so simply though.
3. Milwaukee struggled a bit late with the Heat press, but they found away to stay just composed enough to keep Miami at bay. Drew Gooden tried every insane thing he could to infuriate and drive fans up the walls at home and at the Bradley Center, but, as unorthodox as his methods are, he didn’t kill the Bucks late. I mean that as a compliment. The Bucks looked like a five-year-old who just realized his parents let go of his bike and didn’t tell him late when the Heat put some pressure on. But they held firm. Also, I have no idea what just happened. But I’m pretty sure that’s two wins over the Heat this season for Milwaukee. Wow.

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Los Angeles Lakers

89

Final Recap | Box Score

100

Milwaukee Bucks

	Drew Gooden, PF 36 MIN | 9-15 FG | 4-4 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 23 PTS | +5 Drew Gooden will get by a guy like Pau Gasol for a layup and get a technical foul two seconds later. Drew Gooden will finish a wide open fast break layup and fall down for no conceivable reason. Drew Gooden will do his damnedest to defend Andrew Bynum and throw a pass through traffic into Derrick Fisher’s body. None of these things, not the good ones, not the bad ones, should be surprising. Gooden was all Milwaukee really could counter the Lakers front line with, and he did his best. He’s typically a pretty uneven player, but Saturday night, he was better than that. He made a higher percentage of his shots and performed as well as you could expect against the Lakers tough front line. He often has the best numbers of any of Milwaukee’s starters, but Saturday night, he actually played the best too.
	Shaun Livingston, PG 31 MIN | 4-9 FG | 3-3 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 11 PTS | 0 Elbow jumpers. I wonder how many Livingston has made in his life. It’s a pretty effortless shot for him, especially when he’s able to take it coming out of a post up. He displayed an uncommon blend of leaping ability and power with a dunk on a scrambling Andrew Goudelock. I’m sure Bucks fans are getting more comfortable with the idea of him as the starting shooting guard each game.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 32 MIN | 6-14 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 12 PTS | -3 Before the game, I was thinking if the Bucks were going to be competitive, it would be because Jennings has 30 points and eight assists or something like that. Jennings had 10 points and five assists coming into the fourth quarter and the Bucks led by seven. Huh? Your guess is as good as mine. Saturday night’s was an okay game from Jennings – he handled the ball well, had only one turnover and pressured Laker point guards well, but only scored 12 points. And the Bucks still won and even shot 50% from the field. Weird.
	Mike Dunleavy, SF 22 MIN | 6-8 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 15 PTS | +21 He was like the perimeter version of Ilyasova. He hit two threes, helped facilitate ball movement, grabbed some boards and shot a good percentage. If Milwaukee’s reserves can make shots at a rate better than 50%, that would go a long way towards moving them forward without Bogut. Obviously they won’t every game, but on a night when the starters were solid, but not great, it was a big pickup.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 25 MIN | 7-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 15 PTS | +14 While using most of his energy guarding the Lakers tough front line, he wasn’t the rebounding force he’s often been this season. But he helped the Bucks shoot better than 50% with his efficient night. Hit a three, grabbed enough boards in the fourth quarter to keep the Lakers from coming back – a game you’ll certainly take from Ilyasova.

Three Things We Saw

1. Defending Kobe was primarily a dual effort. Delfino spent a lot of time on him throughout the game, as did Luc Mbah a Moute. Poor Mbah a Moute got the duty in the fourth quarter, when Kobe decided to get serious. He was up to the challenge though, forcing Kobe into some tough shots. The Mamba made 10 of 21 shots and almost had a triple double, but he led the Lakers in turnovers and did not put another game winner on the Bucks heads. Success.
2. Did the Bucks just make more free throws than their opponent? That’s an anomaly for this group, but they love it every time it happens. With the Lakers huge front line and Kobe Bryant in the back court, this certainly didn’t seem like the game Milwaukee would win the free throw battle in, but here we are. It certainly helps explain how we ended up with such a surprising final score.
3. Milwaukee is one of the league’s best teams at forcing turnovers and they were at it again against the Lakers. 15 Laker turnovers led to 23 Milwaukee points. That’s defense leading to offense and that, is exactly what Scott Skiles wants to see.

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Sorry that grades aren’t as they usually are. Ian struggles with computers.

That bench was on fire. Good thing too because with out Andrew Bogut (albeit a struggling Bogut) the Bucks have very little going for them around the rim. The best they can do is run backdoor cuts, but that one-trick pony didn’t last long into the fourth quarter once shooting went cold late in the fourth.

Stephen Jackson

After only taking one shot against the Hawks, Jackson came back to take 16 shots.  They were the same old shots that he always takes: some good and some with hands in his face. Right now he’s in a battle with Shaun Livingston for minutes at shooting guard. If he keeps having  games like he had against the Rockets – where he’s finding cutters, playing tough defense and hitting shots – then he’ll inevitably win no matter what Livingston does.

Brandon Jennings

Had his fifth straight 20 point game. Jennings had fine shot selection; he took no long twos against the Rockets and was able to get into the paint against one of the better defensive point guards, Kyle Lowry.  The impetus for all Bucks victories normally rests on Jennings dominating his matchup. He was able to outscore both Lowry and Dragic combined tonight.

Ersan Ilyasova

The sole reason why the Bucks were anywhere near the Rockets in rebounding. If Bogut is out for any stretch of time, Ersan’s rebounding will be the only reliable thing the Bucks will have in the paint. Offensively, Ersan can’t play his game while Bogut is out. Gooden plays out on the wings which forces Ilyasova to play closer to the basket than he’s comfortable with

Mike Dunleavy

I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I smiled with Dunleavy after he hit his first three since he came back from his injury. Not just because the three was huge for the Bucks, but because he was happy. And that made me happy. Hopefully this means that Dunleavy is out of his slump. That’ll be needed because the Bucks haven’t been getting much near the basket. Their hot shooting needs to continue.

Beno Udrih

Udrih had this great sequence where he faked the shot, drove, faked the pass, faked the teardrop then passed it off to Jackson.  His seven assists were a function of hot shooting while he was out there, but a lot of those open shots were setup by his penetration.

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Atlanta Hawks

97

Final Recap | Box Score

92

Milwaukee Bucks

	Andrew Bogut, C 25 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 12 REB | 4 AST | 6 PTS | 0 Offensively, Bogut isn’t where he wants to be, he isn’t where the Bucks want him to be and he isn’t where Scott Skiles wants him to be. Skiles was asked about Bogut after the game and he said he thought Bogut struggled tonight. Asked if he was concerned this far into the season that Bogut hasn’t been able to find his touch on his post-up moves and Skiles said, “A little bit.” Take that for what you will. The center’s absence late in the game did little to increase Skiles’ popularity in southeast Wisconsin.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 40 MIN | 9-22 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 11 AST | 21 PTS | -2 It can’t be all 30 point games and it can’t be all 5-20 nights for Jennings. There has to be some kind of middle. Monday night was just a little better of the middle. He shot a decent percentage, but most importantly, he was in attack mode all night and was finding teammates regularly. Jennings detractors often point to his low assist totals as a sign he’s not much of a real point guard. They didn’t have much to point to Monday.
	Stephen Jackson, SG 28 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 PTS | -1 Maybe he was tired of hearing everyone complain about his shot-selection or his ball holding or whatever else we’ve all been complaining so much about. Whatever the reason, Jackson took just one shot on Monday night, which was a fair amount of unbelievable. It wasn’t like he wasn’t playing hard – he drew a particularly nice charge on Joe Johnson in the fourth quarter. It was strange to see him so uninvolved with the offense though. He just moved the ball quick and went on his way while Jennings, Gooden and Dunleavy did the heavy lifting in the fourth quarter. Very un-Jacksonlike. He’s a man who could stand some balance in his game now that we’ve seen both extremes. He said after the game that shots didn’t come tonight and that his role was no different. He went as far as to say a question about whether or not his role was different tonight was dumb. For the record, this is the first game in Jackson’s career that he’s played at least 25 minutes and attempted one or fewer shots. Seemed like a relevant question.
	Drew Gooden, PF 23 MIN | 4-10 FG | 4-5 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | -5 Gooden is so many things. Ridiculous. Polished. Aggressive. Complacent. Clever. Foolish. He’s all these things at once. It makes for a maddeningly frustrating player to watch and it was curious that he played so much of the fourth quarter. Yes, he has the ability to make a shot and his drives to the basket do often result in the free throws that Bogut never draws, but he’s just so damn all over the place. Despite the okay numbers, he had some costly defensive three second violations in the fourth. But hey, somehow he hit a three to tie it with a minute to go. I give up.
	Mike Dunleavy, SF 31 MIN | 6-15 FG | 5-5 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 17 PTS | +2 Dunleavy still didn’t hit a three. So he decided he could be useful in other ways. Instead of coming off screens behind the arc, he curled in an extra step and shot twos. His form is terrific, spin unreal and release the same every single time. But really, he needs to start making some threes too. A good time to start would have been the one he missed with Milwaukee down three and no one within five feet of him with 30 seconds to play. Also he turned it over on Milwaukee’s last important possession. Sigh.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 28 MIN | 3-7 FG | 4-7 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | -1 Ilyasova is very, very tough. He has to be leading the Bucks, if not the league in one handed rebounds that were tipped away from two or three other defenders. Jon Leuer has lost some playing time, a lot of playing time, lately, but be sure that Ilyasova is earning his share of what were Leuer’s minutes.

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Milwaukee Bucks

91

Final Recap | Box Score

82

Miami Heat

	Shaun Livingston, PG 39 MIN | 3-7 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 5 AST | 10 PTS | +11 One of Livingston’s biggest assets is his size, not only because it lets him post up smaller players on offense, but because Milwaukee can easily switch with him and virtually anyone else on pick and rolls. Against the Heat, with James and Chalmers and Cole and Battier all involved in the pick and roll game, it was useful to have Livingston able to defend any of them. He had another strong, multi-faceted offensive game doing a little scoring, dishing and rebounding.
	Andrew Bogut, C 32 MIN | 5-8 FG | 3-4 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | +1 Bogut’s offense is still touch and go. It’s difficult to project when he’ll play well and when he’ll be leaving hook shots a foot short. But with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute back, Milwaukee certainly looks to have their defensive tag team ready to regain the belt. The Bucks held Miami to their lowest scoring game of the season and Bogut played a huge role in that.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 35 MIN | 5-20 FG | 12-13 FT | 6 REB | 6 AST | 23 PTS | +9 Jennings wasn’t getting the same looks against Heat point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole that he was getting against Iman Shumpert and Mike Bibby of the Knicks. Miami was forcing him to take more shots in the in-between area, not as many three-point looks and not as many looks in the paint. Jennings struggled to hit what three-point looks he did get, but he did his best to keep penetrating and keep feeding his teammates. He even chipped in on the glass, with no rebound being bigger than the one he grabbed late in the fourth quarter and put back in to basically ended the game.
	Stephen Jackson, SG 26 MIN | 4-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | +12 Jackson did not start for the second straight game, but he did play in this one. He started slow, but hit two big threes, one late in the third quarter and one to start the fourth. He’s a gambler on D and he was able to poke the ball out while helping on defense on a couple of occasions as well. He looked to pass and had a couple of pretty assists too. Jackson isn’t a lost cause, even if people have been writing him off after his latest mishap. He still has the talent to be a useful player, as he demonstrated against the Heat. And most importantly, this isn’t a guy who has quit on his teammates or anything like that. He’s still a competitor, and he’s still competing.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 22 MIN | 5-8 FG | 5-5 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 16 PTS | +7 Ilyasova came in quick for Jon Leuer and made it difficult for Scott Skiles to take him back out. He was terrific on the glass and from a competitive standpoint. This was a classic Ilyasova game, right down to the made three-pointer. It makes sense that in an ugly game, Ilyasova was one of the players to shine.

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Milwaukee Bucks

100

Final Recap | Box Score

86

New York Knicks

	Shaun Livingston, PG 34 MIN | 7-10 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 18 PTS | +22 Livingston has a very specific game and he executed it tonight. In his first start of the season for the suspended Stephen Jackson, Livingston made six of seven shots in the paint. He uses his size so well and is quick to move the ball too. It helps when he’s on the court with guys who can shoot the three, as it mitigates his inability from deep.
	Carlos Delfino, SF 29 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | +8 Delfino and Luc Mbah a Moute did a stellar defensive job on Carmelo Anthony. They stayed with him, played physical and frustrated him into two technical fouls and a fairly inefficient line that saw him score 35 points on 26 shots. They made him stick with the long jumper, a shot he can make, but a short worth ceding.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 36 MIN | 15-26 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 36 PTS | +17 Four shots. Jennings took just four shots against the Knicks that weren’t in the paint or from three-point range. With 26 attempts, that’s a pretty terrific ratio. He’s always seemed to like playing the Garden and Friday was certainly no exception. When he’s hitting threes, he’s a very difficult cover. New York’s patchwork point guards certainly were no match.
	Drew Gooden, PF 22 MIN | 2-9 FG | 6-8 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | +2 In a backup role, with plenty of other talented players on the court, that allows him to focus on rebounding and put-backs, Gooden works well. He’s generally ridiculous to watch when he’s taking on a real active role, but he’s always been a useful rebounder. Rebounds, put-backs and the free throws that result from them can be his thing.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 23 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 3 AST | 3 PTS | +15 It seemed we never went more than a few seconds without hearing Ilyasova’s name when he was in the game tonight. He battled for rebounds all night and pestered the Knicks pricey frontline. He earned every one of his nine rebounds.

Three Things We Saw

1. Jennings was on the court for 36 minutes, but certainly spent a good amount of time inside the mind of Carmelo Anthony late in the game. Jennings will encourage some chippy play here and there, especially when he’s feeling it from three and the Bucks are winning. I’m sure he reveled in Anthony’s second technical.
2. I’m sure many will point to Jackson’s absence, the Bucks win and the solid play from Livingston as a clear pattern for success, but let’s avoid jumping that gun just yet. There’s a lot of season left and Jackson isn’t going anywhere any time soon. The Bucks need to find a way to get him playing well regularly.
3. 1-8 on the road. A lot better than 0-9.

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Leuer is posing for a completely different picture

The big day is here Badger fans! Leuer is starting. Rejoice! Between him and Greg Stiemsma this is the greatest year for Badgers in the NBA ever.

Going into the season, it looked like the Bucks power forward spot was jam-packed and Leuer might not get a chance to shine. But he’s starting tonight against the Pistons. How did we get here and are the Bucks heading toward a new status quo?

• No back-up center

Leuer impresses the Bucks enough that they decide to fill the last roster spot with him instead of a free agent backup center. Drew Gooden has to take backup center role.

• Luc Mbah a Moute’s Knee Tendinitis

LRMAM would have been a prime candidate to take the power forward starting position, but he has only been able to play two games this year.

• Larry Sanders has great fine motor skills, but poor basketball skills

Sanders is a nice artist. Heck, he could be the best player the Bucks have, but we’ll never know because he can’t hold on to the ball for very long (very long = two seconds).

• Ilyasova has decided to not show up this year.

Ilyasova is not playing his game. He’s taking three less shots per 36 minutes than his career average. Yes, his rebound is still there, but Bogut’s been out for a considerable chunk of the season and someone had to grab rebounds.

It’s questionable as to whether Ilyasova fits into this brave new world the Bucks are exploring where Teamwork is Magic. He has always been sort of an unrepentant chucker and a ball-stopper.

• Leuer’s Performance

There’s been a bit of serendipity in Leuer’s rise to the starting spot today, but it’s been for the best as he is clearly the Bucks best offensive option at the four. And all that luck would have meant nothing had Leuer not performed well. He’s scoring 1.42 PPP(points per possession) in spot-up situations and 1 PPP in post-ups. He’s shooting 66.7 percent at the rim. Physically, he’s just a terrible man defender, but has been shown decent help defense. That’s to be expected from someone coming out of the Bo Ryan system.

Is he going to keep the starting job? Obviously, this depends all on Leuer. He already has Scott Skiles confidence as evidenced by the crunch time minutes Leuer got against the Spurs. Skiles is more than willing to play rookies as long as they get it and so far it looks like Leuer just gets it.

• What about Brockman?

What about Brockman?

• Speaking of Bucks Power Forwards

Anthony Mason owes Wisconsin a lot of money. I enjoy this.

Watch This Guy Not the Other Guys

• Greg Monroe?

Monroe is the team leader in points and rebounds. He is tied for steals. He is two assists behind Ben Gordon for the assists lead. Andrew Bogut completely outclasses him.

The Rest

The Pistons aren’t just losing, they’re doing it in a spectacular fashion. They’ve lost five straight games by 14 points or more. They are bad. So bad, that this could be the worst Pistons team ever. Piston Powered has more.

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Milwaukee Bucks

100

Final Recap | Box Score

103

Sacramento Kings

	Stephen Jackson, SG 39 MIN | 4-10 FG | 3-3 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 13 PTS | -9 Jackson hit a jumper in the fourth, then yelled something like, “Give me the ball!” Except it was a lot more vulgar and this is a family site. Well the Bucks did give him the ball and he kept turning it over (seven for the game). Then with the game on the line, he got it on the block with his back to the basket. He failed. No one was surprised.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 16 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 4 PTS | -16 Does Ilyasova even exist? Does he work on this plane of existence? It sure doesn’t seem like it. Ilyasova isn’t even jab-stepping or pump-faking anymore. Something is off.
	Drew Gooden, PF 34 MIN | 6-13 FG | 6-10 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 18 PTS | -7 18 points and 9 rebounds seem like a good game. But this is what I’m talking about when I say that Gooden’s numbers exist in a vacuum. They don’t really mean anything especially when the other team is snatching offensive boards left and right. They don’t mean anything when he’s not establishing post position. Everything he does in the game does nothing to set up an open look in the future. And he only exacerbates the Bucks problems of taking long twos.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 43 MIN | 12-23 FG | 1-4 FT | 3 REB | 7 AST | 31 PTS | -7 Wow! Did you see that lay-up? Swag. He was the only Buck playing at the end of the game. His late game steals were the Bucks only lifeblood in the fourth quarter. He was the only guy who actually went to foul Tyreke Evans at the end of the game after the Jackson miss. It is a wonder why he was so far away from the ball to begin with on that Jackson iso.
	Beno Udrih, PG 25 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | -3 I called for Beno Udrih to take more threes. I was wrong. Other note: Jennings needs to learn how to use his body to block out defenders when he goes to the rim. He can learn that from Udrih.
	Jon Leuer, F 21 MIN | 3-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 7 PTS | +16 Leuer should probably be starting as long as Ilyasova is going to be just a void of nothingness and Bogut is away. He’s not going to do much rebounding, but the Bucks weren’t doing that anyway against Jog DMC (DeMarcus Cousins). They needed his offense late in the game.
	Larry Sanders, C 21 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 8 PTS | +10 I really enjoyed watching Sanders get his Vlade Divac on. I’m going to stop typing now before I start describing this pipe dream I had.

Two Things We Saw

1. 30, 28, 24,18. Lost numbers or the Bucks scoring per quarter from first to fourth?
2. 55 to 31. The rebounding discrepancy between the Kings and Bucks. Jog DMC did a number on the Bucks in this department and Evans was gobbling up the all long rebounds. The Kings shot 19 percent from three. The Bucks even had a better field goal percentage. But as long as Bogut’s away, the second chance points are going to crush the Bucks.

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But it’s easy to see how the performance of Ilyasova impacts the Bucks. Last season in wins, Ilyasova shot 49.5% and averaged 10.7 points per game. In Bucks losses last season, Ilyasova shot 39.8% and averaged 8.7 points per game. In our limited sample size of data this season, we’ve once again seen his performance mean a great deal. In Milwaukee’s loss to the Bobcats, Ilyasova scored just two points (though he did grab nine rebounds). When the Bucks rolled over the Wizards, Ilyasova played a key role, dropping 16 points on just eight shots.

Obviously, this isn’t rocket science. He’s a starter for the Bucks. He regularly plays lots of minutes. If he’s playing well, it’s going to make a big difference. But what’s unusual about Ilyasova is how much of a variable he can be. We know that even when Andrew Bogut shoots under 40%, he’ll be playing all-NBA type defense. We know Brandon Jennings might shoot a low percentage, but he applies pressure on the opposing point guards and usually is able to give the other team some problems with his driving.

But Ilyasova’s play, especially his play early, gives hints about his state each game.

Sometimes he misses his first open shot and he plays lost for an entire game. His effort’s alwyas there, but he quickly loses his typical effectiveness. Sometimes he catches on the perimeter and all game it becomes a pump fake and pass machine. I’m not opposed to the pump fake, it can be effective. But some games it become a crutch for Ilyasova rather than a tool. He’s indecisive and it’s something he uses to buy time rather than to make a move.

Friday’s game wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for Ilyasova. He’s thrilled a number of times over the past two seasons, displaying shooting touch, rebounding skills and even a bit of passing ability that doesn’t typically stand out as apart of his game. He put all of that together Friday. He scored on putbacks, off cuts and jumpers. Surely, this was the Ilyasova Scott Skiles envisioned when he plugged him into the starting lineup before Milwaukee’s first game this season.

The power forward spot has been a troubling one for the Bucks since, well, almost forever. Vin Baker held it down and nearly every other Bucks forward has played themselves out of the spot. Milwaukee’s been acquiring pieces at the four for the last few seasons, seemingly hoping one of their many rotating parts would prove to be the piece that fit best. Sometimes that’s Ilyasova.

If that’s is the Ilyasova that shows up often this season, the Bucks can feel a little better about their odds. If the roller coaster ride Ilyasova was on last seaosn carries over into this one, Milwaukee’s chances get that much rockier.

Tonight’s Game

Milwaukee is in Denver this evening, taking on the Nuggets at 8 PM Central. Carlos Delfino will slide into the starting lineup for the ill (ill physically, not ill like really good, but I think that he’s been pretty ill as a player this year) Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Watch These Guys, Not Other Guys

• Nene

Big contract, big player, not such big results this season. Nene will be okay. He’s a terrific finisher, can step out and hit some shots, has exceptional athleticism and plays on a team that fits his needs well. He had a big second game of the season against the Jazz and has been average in the three since. He’s capable of breaking out and is one of those rare centers that can give Bogut problems, thanks to his quickness. He shot 80% and averaged 17 points per game against the Bucks last season.

The Rest

Denver is deep. They are full of talented player, but lack that one big, Carmelo Anthony like star. I’m a jerk. But they rotate in and out, kind of like the Marquette Golden Eagles if you’re into Milwaukee’s college basketball scene. As always, they are up-temp0 (2nd in the NBA in pace this season) and can put up points. Milwaukee’s not shy about pushing the pace a bit themselves, so we could see quite a few points, despite the defensive talents of both of these teams. I

t might hurt the Bucks a bit more than they realize that Dunleavy is out, as his quick ball movement and off the ball motion helps them in transition and when things dull down in the half court quite a bit.

This is Milwaukee’s first test on a five game road trip, so don’t think they don’t realize how important getting a game on the front end of this trip will be.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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While he didn’t profess his undying love for Milwaukee, Ilyasova took time to re-establish the goal he’s had for many years with the media. And that goal is to be in the NBA.

“My goal is just be an NBA player,” Ilysaova said at media day last Saturday. “That’s why I broke out of my contract with Barcelona two years ago and come play for the Bucks. The main thing is just be an NBA player and stay here as much longer as I can.”

With one year left on his contract in Milwaukee, his future as a Buck may be in doubt past this season, even if the NBA is his goal.

After Ilyasova’s first season back in Milwaukee in 2009, it looked like he would be able to dictate how long his stay with the Bucks would be.  His knack for rebounding and aggressive, physical defense were a welcome compliment to his three-point shooting, something the team only expected him to get better at.

But season two back with the Bucks did not go so smooth. Coming off a strong run at the World Championships, Ilyasova often looked indecisive. His pump fakes were less action orientated, less part of a plan of how to attack and more defensive in nature. He was slow to swing passes around on the wing and struggled with his shot, hitting just 29.8% of his threes.

June trade rumors and the lockout forcing him into a job with a European team all seemed to contribute to rumblings that went on throughout the off-season that Ilyasova was not long for either the Bucks or the NBA. But both Ersan and the team have seemed happy enough with each other since camp has begun.

“It was difficult, to just start adjusting to the one place and now we have to go back to what’s basically our home here,” he said. “You know, we’re okay with it. I’m mostly happy now that’s the lockout is over and the season is starting. The best thing we can do now is take care of ourselves and not get hurt and be competitive and have a good season.”

“All the time since I was drafted I was with the Bucks since I was 18 and now I’m 24, so basically I’ve been here forever. I’m looking forward to being here. We didn’t have a very good season last year, we had a lot of injuries. This year we got a lot of new players on our roster again.”

“It’s like I say, we change the players a lot each year. The main thing is the coaches need to adjust. Put all these pieces together and how are they going to work together for us at game time.”

Ilyasova said he would be comfortable with whatever role is asked of him.

Lacking the quickness or ball-handling skills to spend time at the three, despite average and occasionally above average long range shooting skills, Ilyasova has spent the majority of his time as a Buck at the four. But he slid over to the five at time with smaller lineups last season and could do so again if the Bucks opt to head into the season without a clear backup center.

According to 82games.com, 5% of the team’s minutes at center last season were played by Ilyasova, and in that time, he posted an offensive rating (points/100 possessions) of 95.3 and a defensive rating of 90.3.

“It’s not kind of my thing, just go and ask,” he said when answering questions regarding his role this season. “Just prepare and stay focus no matter what, the position the coach wants me on the court, just be ready.”

And despite struggles last season, both before and after a concussion that left him out of the lineup for 22 games, Ilyasova isn’t concerned about his ability to make the adjustment from the Euro League back to the NBA. After all, it’s nothing new for him.

“The main thing, I was playing in both leagues a long time enough to make adjustment quickly,” he said. “It’s kind of okay with me, it’s not a huge adjustment from European basketball to the NBA.”

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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