In the comments section of this post, leave your prediction for tonight’s Bucks-Nets game.  Final score and both team’s top scorers.  The winner will receive FOUR tickets to Sunday’s Bucks-Knicks game in section 111, row GGG.

Don’t feel any pressure to pick Milwaukee either.  If you think they’ll lose, then you think they’ll lose.  I’m looking for the closest pick, not the homeriest pick (yes, I made that word up).

Onto a few quick notes about tonight’s game.

• New Jersey is 5-4 since having acquired Deron Williams in a surprising trade with the Utah Jazz.  While Williams hasn’t shot particularly well (33%), he’s averaged 13.7 assists per game, a number that would qualify as his career high if he could maintain it over the course of  a season.

• Williams is the sizable yet quick sort of point guard that can really bother Milwaukee’s slender Brandon Jennings. Williams is averaging 22 points and 10.5 assists against Milwaukee this season and shooting 55.6%.  Keeping him out of the paint is always a challenge, and will be a primary focus of Milwaukee’s defense again.  Especially with dangerous shooters like Anthony Morrow and Sasha Vujacic around him.

• After missing Wednesday’s game with a migraine, Andrew Bogut should return against the Nets.  The Bucks got little in the way of big man scoring against the Magic with Bogut out, so they will likely look to establish him inside early and often.  Coming off a 21-point effort, hopes were high for Bogut on Wednesday, and they’ll remain high for him against the Nets on Friday.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts had managed to play at least two minutes in seven straight games before Milwaukee’s loss to the Magic on Wednesday.  He was unable to make much of a difference in Milwaukee’s two worst losses, to the Celtics and Hawks, but we can hardly blame him for that, no one on the Bucks made much of a difference in those games.  He’s worth mentioning when the Bucks play the Nets, as he had one of his strongest games of the season against his former team on his birthday in January.  If Milwaukee needs an offensive boost tonight, it’s possible he could be granted an opportunity once again.

• With things going the way they have of late, it’s tough to ever feel confident about a Bucks win heading into a game.  But Milwaukee’s been strong against the Nets this season.  At least the pre-Williams version.  Williams is the type of player who makes a major impact on every game he plays in though and has transformed the Nets from miserable to middling simply by putting on a jersey.  If he bumps up his shooting percentage and keeps his assists at a high level, he turns the Nets into a legitimate eighth seed contender as soon as next season.  These certainly aren’t the Nets Milwaukee has walked over this season.

Prediction: Bucks 94 – Nets 87

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Enemy: Nets Are Scorching

Point Guard
Keyon Dooling vs. Devin Harris

There’s a lot of positive talk about Brandon Jennings returning to play the Nets Saturday night, but it seems that he’ll be coming off the bench in his first game back from injury.  Coach Skiles told Charles F. Gardner he only expected Jennings to play limited minutes in his return.  Any minutes Jennings is given will more likely cut into the playing time of Earl Boykins rather than Dooling.  Dooling and Boykins have both had their moments in Jennings’s absence, but Dooling has been a much more steady defender.  Boykins scoring outbursts have always been enjoyable, but his penchant for over-dribbling and limited impact defensively cannot be overlooked.  Against the famously quick Harris, Dooling is a better matchup.

Advantage: Nets

Shooting Guard
Chris Douglas-Roberts vs. Stephen Graham

Even though three other Bucks scored 20+ points against the Raptors Friday night, it was actually CD-R that led the team in plus/minus.  That’s a stat that’s hard to put too much stock in for one game, but it did illustrate that CD-R did a couple more things than he usually does against the Raptors.  Known primarily as a scorer for good reason, CD-R grabbed four rebounds and handed out three assists in his 24 Toronto minutes Friday.  Those are still fairly pedestrian numbers, but a marked improvement for a guy who was averaging less than two assists and three rebounds in his five previous starts for the injured John Salmons. Salmons may be back soon, and with the glut of wings Milwaukee’s now sporting, CD-R could be in line for a significant playing time cut when is he.  He must continue to make the most of his minutes now.

Advantage: Bucks

Small Forward
Corey Maggette vs. Travis Outlaw

Now would be a great time for me to officially retire my, “When Corey Maggette Scores 20 Points, the Bucks Will Lose By Double Digits” theory.  It was fun while it lasted.  But this is more fun.  Maggette’s finished with 20 points seven times this month and Milwaukee is 5-2 in those games.  His scoring has been a constant lately.  His teammates haven’t all come around, but Maggette sure has.  This is the player the Bucks traded for.  This is the guy who inspired a lot of confidence in Milwaukee’s efforts to be improved this season.  It would have been great had he been here all season, but in this case, late is once again, better than never.  Maggette’s coming off a big game against the Raptors.  He logged his first double double of the season by scoring a season high 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Advantage: Bucks

Power Forward
Ersan Ilyasova vs. Derrick Favors

Ilyasova couldn’t miss against the Raptors.  That’s kind of what the Raptors encourage though.  Not that the Nets are much better.  Favors may have trouble sticking with Ilyasova outside, which should result in a few open looks for the Bucks forward.  But he hasn’t always been great about knocking those down this season.  Yes, he made nine of 10 shots in Toronto (including both his three-point attempts), but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be able to do it again Saturday night.  That, in a nutshell, has been the issue with Ilyasova this season.

Advantage: Bucks

Center
Andrew Bogut vs. Brook Lopez

One rebound.  28 points and one rebound.  That was Lopez’s game yesterday.  If his intensity on the glass is similar at all against the Bucks, we may need to brace ourselves for a 30+ rebounding night from Andrew Bogut.  It’s been an interesting year from Lopez.  His scoring is up a little bit over last season, but for some reason, he went from average rebounder to completely miserable one.  His rebounding rate is that of Corey Maggette’s, despite the fact that he plays near the hoop and is, you know, a 7-foot center.  Bogut’s coming off a strong game offensively against the Raptors, but I’m sure he’s taking his share of the blame for a rather anemic effort defensively from the Bucks as a unit.  He’s their unquestioned leader at that end of the court and should have them ready to go against the Nets.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench
Carlos Delfino, Brandon Jennings, Luc Mbah a Moute, Earl Boykins and Larry Sanders

vs.

Anthony Morrow, Sasha Vujacic, Kris Humphries, Quinton Ross, Johan Petro and Ben Uzoh

Anthony Morrow is a very accurate shooter and effective scorer.  Kris Humphries is a big guy, a strong finisher and solid rebounder.  Everyone else on the Nets bench?  Bleh.  If Delfino is back to form after a rough night in Toronto and Jennings is even a third of himself in ten minutes of playing time or so, Milwaukee could have a sizable advantage in this area against New Jersey.

Advantage: Bucks

Prediction: Bucks 106 – Nets 87

New Jersey isn’t very good.  The Bucks have been good about beating the worst teams in the league pretty consistently lately.  All indications are that the Bucks should win.  But how they win is what will be important.  Scott Skiles is desperately searching for an efficient deconstructing of a weak opponent, complete with surgical offensive precision and suffocating defense.  He doesn’t want his starters to need to play much in the fourth quarter.  He wants a complete effort.  Whether he’ll get that is up in the air.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com.  Follow him on Twitter.  Then become a fan on Facebook (in the sidebar).

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The one Saturday night that the Bucks aren’t in Milwaukee and they go and do this.  Figures.

But that was the only thing to complain about after Milwaukee’s 115-92 destruction of the New Jersey Nets Saturday evening.  Playing without Andrew Bogut (viral infection), Milwaukee displayed the same shooting ability they did in the latter parts of Friday night’s close loss to the Miami Heat, but this time combined it with care for the ball and four quarters of tough defense.

And another heaping dose of Chris Douglas-Roberts.

CD-R finished with 24 points on his 24th birthday, hitting nine of 14 shots (1-3 3FG 5-5 FT).  After a messy second season that finished with the Nets practically giving him away for nothing over the summer, CD-R was certainly playing his old teammates with some extra motivation.  The timing worked out well for him too, coming into Saturday night’s game after compiling a season high 30-points in Friday’s loss to Miami.  While CD-R’s good play carried over from one game to the next, some of the issues that plagued the Bucks didn’t.

After turning the ball over 23 times Friday, Milwaukee limited their turnovers to just 10 against a significantly less imposing Nets defense.  There was some concern that the Bucks would suffer a bit of a hangover after an emotional loss, but the strong effort against the Heat seemed to have reinforced the Bucks confidence instead.  Milwaukee stepped on the collective throats of the Nets immediately and never let them so much as gasp for air.

A John Salmons three put the Bucks up 5-2 and Milwaukee led the rest of the way, giving Milwaukee their most comfortable win since November 9th at home against the Knicks.

Offense

Without Bogut, Milwaukee would need the same strong wing play they got from CD-R and Salmons on Friday.  They got solid play again, but an unlikely source contributed.  Corey Maggette fought through foul trouble and scored 20 points in his first start of the season.  Ersan Ilyasova shifted over to center, Luc Mbah a Moute to power forward and Maggette started at the three.  Maggette scored 20 points in classic Maggette fashion.  A typical season’s Maggette, not this season’s.  He made five of nine shots and connected on 10 of 11 free throws, while turning the ball over just three times.  That’s the Maggette Milwaukee wanted to acquire last summer, not the one who’s often shot under 40% this season and has bowled over opponents and missed on passes time after time.

If he continues this sort of play, Milwaukee’s season could really take off.  It’s curious he had such a strong game, one night after playing under seven minutes, but it goes to show that he’s keeping himself prepared and ready.

• The Bucks connected on a season high 58.3% of their shots thanks to a combination of them finally finding the bottom of the net on jumpers and the Nets playing little to no defense often.  For Milwaukee the little bit of rain ended up in a blizzard of shooting success, as they made 42.9% of their threes and 86.2% of their free throws.

• It’s funny how good ball movement can appear on paper when a team finally starts making shots.  Milwaukee had 27 assists on 42 field goals, some of their finest numbers of the season.  Were they doing anything differently?  No.  They just finally started making some shots.

Defense

The Nets actually managed a respectable 45% shooting, but did most of their work in garbage time.  Where Milwaukee really shined was in limiting the Nets stars.  Brook Lopez scored just five points on two of five shooting despite Bogut’s absence.  Just as well, Travis Outlaw scored just three points on one of seven shooting.

• A night after Bogut tied the team record with 20 defensive rebounds, Ilyasova managed a strong game himself in his first start at center this season.  Ilyasova grabbed 12 defensive rebounds (13 total) and did a very good job helping to limit Lopez all night despite Lopez’s significant size advantage.  Ilyasova chipped in 22 points (10-14 FG) and three steals as well and looked comfortable up front with Mbah a Moute, who played well in his more natural power forward spot.

• Doing what he’s been doing whenever he’s received playing time, Larry Sanders managed three blocks in just 20 minutes.

Final Thoughts

For some time everyone’s suspected things would start to look brighter for the Bucks when the schedule softened, and Saturday night’s game was the first glimpse of what could possible lie ahead.  It’s a bit much to expect the Bucks to roll off 20 point wins every time they face a team that isn’t one of the league’s best, but the team that beat the Nets Saturday certainly looks like one ready to put together some consistent basketball.  That’s been missing all season, but Milwaukee looks ready to start putting together their best basketball at the right time.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com.  Follow him on Twitter.  Then become a fan on Facebook (in the sidebar).

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One of the many keys to continued success the rest of the way for the Milwaukee Bucks was prominently on display Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.  They need balance.  A team that lacks a true star to begin with, the Bucks have needed to get something out of everyone all year, even before Andrew Bogut’s injury.  Now, they need balance more than ever.  And when they get it, good things can happen.  Milwaukee was about as balanced as they could be in their 108-89 victory over the Nets Wednesday night – 120 minutes for the starters, 120 minutes for the reserves.

While the Bucks starters were outscored 64-59 on the night, the bench did their part and then some, out-scoring New Jersey’s backups 49-25.  This shouldn’t have been surprising though.  The Nets are 11-67 for a reason.  They have some starters that are above-average players, but their bench is full of young, inexperienced and, as far as I could tell, relatively uninterested players.  New Jersey certainly looked the part of the league’s bottom feeder.  Everyone was hooting and hollering from the sidelines during a fast start by Devin Harris, but there was a clear sense of indifference as the game began to slip away.  But hey, a job is a job, and if I had a stat at my work that said we’d only had a successful day 11 out of the last 77 times we operated, I’d be waiting for a vacation myself.  But back to the bench.

Role player was a fitting definition of the Bucks reserves on this evening.

Jerry Stackhouse as “Low Post Scorer”

Upon signing Stackhouse earlier this season, Coach Skiles said he thought the veteran immediately became Milwaukee’s second best low post scorer.   Occasionally the Bucks had been going to him in the post, but with the other options the Bucks had, Bogut in the paint and Salmons everywhere, Stack’s post game had been a bit forgotten about.  Wednesday night it was front and center.  Time after time Milwaukee found Stackhouse in the post with a smaller (and often much younger) defender on him that he was able to take advantage of.  Stack finished with a much needed 18 points (6-9 FG 2-2 3FG 4-4 FT) after really struggling the last couple weeks.

“You get a couple drops here and there.  I feel like I got an advantage over whoever guarding me,” Stackhouse said with a wry smile.  “Guys know their role, they know what they do best, I think that’s what we have to do now.  We have to do what we do and don’t try and do more than that and we’ll be fine.”

Dan Gadzuric as “Awkward Hustling Big Man”

Gadz was the big goofy jumper we all remembered from years ago once again Wednesday night.  He can make you smile (eight rebounds in 17 minutes), he can make you cringe (a free throw line jumper … that went down smooth) and he can make you cry (never one to be outdone, he pulled a Brezec and fell down after a move by a Nets guard).  Gadz was out there running around and doing his best to play to his strengths, namely rebounding and shot-blocking.  He’s not getting to as many balls as he once did as a shot-blocker, but Gadz can certainly still grab some boards.

Charlie Bell as “The X Stopper”

While Bell is probably not as good a defender as his reputation suggests he is, he had another strong defensive outing against the Nets.  Devin Harris gave Milwaukee fits in the first quarter, scoring 18 of his 25 points, but Bell proved very effective on him when given the chance.

Bell played the entire second quarter, helping to limit Harris to just one point on zero shots from the field.  With Harris unaggressive, the Nets mustered little offense and were unable to build on the momentum of their big first quarter.  I joked that Bell probably hadn’t been playing much lately because he was busy traveling the country and stopping Dwyane Wade from doing things given the talk about him being the “Wade Stopper” earlier this year.  But Bell certainly played the role of top defender against the Nets.

Kurt Thomas as “A Different Kind of Center”

About the only thing Thomas does similar to Bogut is rebound.  Thomas again rebounded the ball very well Wednesday, grabbing 10 rebounds in 27 minutes.  In addition to his skills on the glass, Thomas showed he’s not going to hurt the Bucks offense.  His 15-foot jumper looks as reliable as ever and is helping to create space for the Bucks inside.

The Bucks veteran role players have traveled this path before and know what adversity is like.  Thus far, they’ve been shining examples on how the Bucks can keep the good times rolling without Andrew Bogut.

Offense

• John Salmons had 22 points (10-13 FG 1-2 3FG 1-2 FT).  This feels redundant.  In a good way.  Not like when I used to think to myself, “why can’t Tim Thomas ever grab more than five rebounds or score more than 15 points?”  That was the bad kind of redundant.

• He had a few points in garbage time to help pad the numbers, but Ersan Ilyasova’s points were on jumpers so smooth looking I wanted to grab them and put them in a commercial for milk chocolate.  15 points (7-12 FG 1-4 3FG 0-1 FT) and nine rebounds on the evening.  The consistently stellar production out of Ilyasova lately has been a total joy to watch.  It’s one thing to like having a player on a team, it’s another to have a player who is so much fun to watch on a team.  Ersan is the latter.

Defense

Bell, Thomas, Gadzuric and Stackhouse, the role players, all did their part defensively.  Stack had a breakaway dunk off a steal and that exceptional block you saw the highlight of above.  The Nets got into Milwaukee right off the bat, shooting 65% in the first quarter.  Obviously that wasn’t going to last and the Bucks made sure of it by holding them to 27% shooting in the second half.  Their point totals were 38 in the first quarter to only 31 in the second half.  Quite a difference a break makes.

Final Thoughts

I’d like to think it’s never easy for an NBA team and knowing the Nets are hungry for any wins they can get would make for a competitive game.  But I never felt like the Bucks would drop this one.  Even when the Nets were playing well, it seemed more luck than skill, save for Devin Harris.  What was surprising is how ineffective Brook Lopez was.  The Nets center has given Milwaukee fits in the past and with Bogut out, I thought he’d be the key to their whole game.  Perhaps he was too willing to defer (seven assists to just six shots).  Whatever the case may be, Lopez was hardly noticeable with just five points on 1-6 shooting.  I can live with that and I can certainly live with another Bucks win.  They’ll need all of them they can get to hold off Charlotte and stay in the top six.

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(Probable) Inactives: Joe Alexander and Dan Gadzuric

at

New Jersey Nets (Kiki Vanderwegh) 3-30

(Probable) Inactives: Eduardo Najera, Tony Battie and Sean Williams

Date: 1/5/2010

Time: 6:00 (CST)

TV: Nah, not today

Match-Ups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Devin Harris

Like most of these match-ups, this one won’t be quite as easy as the last time these teams met.  In the first game it was Rafer Alston manning the point for the 0-12 Nets.  Jennings burned Alston for 19 points, eight assists and his lone dunk of the season.  That was a different Nets team led by a different man though.  While Devin Harris hasn’t exactly righted the ship since his return from an early season ankle injury, he (along with the many other Nets who have returned from injuries since they last met the Bucks) at least helps make the Nets a competitive team.  Harris has not matched the lofty standard he set for himself last year though.  Shooting under 40 percent and averaging less than 20 points and dishing out fewer assists was probably not what Harris had in mind as a follow up to his all-star season last year.  If Harris can begin to get himself on track, the Nets become more than a team desperate for all the wins they can get.  Physically, Harris is still quick and strong and will be a load for Jennings on both sides of the court.

Advantage: Nets

Shooting Guard

Michael Redd vs. Courtney Lee

Can Michael Redd string together two stellar performances in a row?  Consistency has not been common this season for the Bucks, whether it’s been the ups and downs for the rookie point guard Jennings or the life of a finesse big man in Andrew Bogut, the Bucks key players have had problems performing night in and night out.  We’ve seen Redd be able to bring consistent scoring before, but whether or not that can still be apart of his game remains to be seen.  Courtney Lee is a solid defender, but not a  player for Redd to lose sleep over.  Redd should be able to use his crafty moves to get a few good looks at the rim and hopefully some free-throws.  However he’s going to do it, now is a great opportunity for Redd to get going.  After a strong game against Oklahoma City, Redd has games against New Jersey and Chicago, two weaker teams,  as opportunities to boost his confidence and find his rhythm before a long road trip out west.

Advantage: Bucks

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts

CDR got loose for 31 points in the last Bucks-Nets game, doing most of his damage at the free-throw line (12-14).  Don’t hold your breath on him having that kind of impact again, as LRMAM was absent that game.  Do expect CDR to make some trips to the free throw line and do his best to keep getting to the rim.  CDR attacked the rim repeatedly in that game and has been doing that all year long, averaging roughly seven attempts at the rim per game … or more than anyone on the Bucks.  LRMAM is still figuring out this whole offense thing and might get a few post looks against the smaller CDR.

Advantage: Bucks (LRMAM fits so well!)

Power Forward

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Yi Jianlian

One of the great fears many Bucks fans have is that Easy Yi will one day go on to live up to the vast potential he has, scarring us for life and making us forever rue the day he was given up for what practically amounted to one season of Richard Jefferson. In his last five games, Yi has averaged 20 points and seven rebounds while shooting just a shade under 50 percent.  When he was drafted it was expected those types of performances would be common place for Yi, but he did so little in his one year with Milwaukee that he hardly seemed a better prospect than Charlie Villanueva.  Regardless, he’s looked good lately and that has everyone on watch in Milwaukee, even if it probably wouldn’t have happened here.

Advantage: Nets

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. Brook Lopez

Bogut had the upper hand earlier this year, with 21/11 to Lopez’s 11/4, but that could change with ease in this one.  Lopez has a much better supporting cast around him now and Bogut has yet to show much real consistency this year.  Bogut is coming off a very strong game against the Thunder after a string of four straight mediocre to bad games.  Lopez is one of the league’s best shot-blockers and could give Bogut some problems.  It’ll be important for Milwaukee to stick with the Aussie all night and try and ride him in this one.  Redd and Jennings haven’t been very good on the road and the path to road victories is typically lined with Andrew Bogut touches down low.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Bench

Charlie Bell, Kurt Thomas, Hakim Warrick and Luke Ridnour

vs.

Keyon Dooling, Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone and Terrance Williams

Not a stellar group for the Nets.  Dooling has been known to get hot, Hassell and Boone provide defense in theory if not in practice and since Vanderwegh has taken over, Williams minutes have been as erratic as his personality.  Not the way to get success out of rookies.  Ridnour was crucial for the Bucks against the Thunder and Hakim Warrick actually earned himself some crunch time minutes with his activity around the hoop.  Now if only he was a little better about scoring when he’s by the rim: 57 percent shooting at the rim on the year is a career low.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Prediction: Bucks 98 – Nets 88

I was all set to predict the Bucks would lose this game.  Even had the score: 94-91 Nets.  But the more I thought about it, the more confidence I had in Scott Skiles and the Bucks.  They haven’t really lost many games to teams they’ve been better than.  The Bucks have typically played at or above their talent level all season long and I don’t see why that would change now.  The rough December was largely the product of a more difficult schedule.  To this point, the Bucks have beat all the teams you’d expect them to beat (save for Sacramento) and I don’t see why that would change now.

Milwaukee looked much better defensively for parts of the Charlotte and Orlando game and for all of the Oklahoma City game.  If they were able to put it together for pieces of two of those and a full game in one of those, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to against an inferior New Jersey team.  Sure, the Nets are much better than they were in November and have some more talent now, but the Bucks remain the more talented squad and that has generally led to wins for Milwaukee this year.

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“In case you haven’t noticed, and judging from the attendance you haven’t … the Bucks have managed to win a few here and there.”

Harry Doyle’s words have rarely rang so true.  On a night where the Bradley Center was as empty as I’ve ever seen it for the Bucks, they pulled out another win, but that’s what they were supposed to do against a team coming in 0-11, right?  I think so.  And one of these days the Bucks are even going to figure this first half thing out.

The most bizarre thing about the Bucks struggles in the first and second quarter recently is the charge they’ve been coming out with immediately after half time.  For visual proof, I present to you the start of the third quarter … after the jump of course.

A 15-0 start to the second half was the catalyst for Bucks victory Wednesday night.  That putrid first half in which they allowed 48 points on 53 percent shooting to a team that had scored over 90 points just three times this year?  Long forgotten when you glance at the win/loss column after this one.  Looking quickly at the box score after this one gives the instant impression that the Bucks won handily.  After all, the Bucks allowed only 12 points in the third quarter and mostly garbage points in the fourth.

But it was a struggle early.  I swear.

Offense

• Andrew Bogut was one of the only Bucks to have anything going early, finishing the first quarter with 10 points on 5/7 shooting on an array of hooks and layups.  It was a very smooth start after a few rough nights chasing around Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden. Finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Bogut was relieved to be playing against an actual center again and it showed. Bogut’s offense seemed to fall into line since he wasn’t forced to step out of his comfort zone on defense.

It’s nice to actually play against a guy who wants to play in there.  We got physical at times and it’s definitely nice to play against a seven footer that’s in the same weight class.

Bogut did appear to be limping after the game.

It’s okay, just a little shin contusion.  I think I’ll be all right.

• When I said Bogut was “one” of the only Bucks, I assure you I had at least one more in mind.  The other I was thinking of?  Carlos Delfino. Delfino had eight first quarter points and finished with 21!  His first regular season double digit game as a Buck!  He was 4/8 from behind the arc and even added six assists!  This is everything we could ever ask for and more out of Delfino.  If he’s providing this kind of offense along with his usual relatively stingy defense, he’s exactly what the Bucks need on one of the wings.  Scott Skiles was preaching consistency and reliability after the game, this is the effort we’d love to see Delfino make consistent.

• The Bucks faced their usual challenge from the free throw line on Wednesday, shooting 11/13 while the Nets finished the evening 22/25.  The Nets owe a large portion of their success to Chris Douglas-Roberts, who finished the game with 31 points, including 12/14 from the line.

• Luke Ridnour is looking like a bonafide back-up point guard specialist for real.  Another strong game which included a number of those sweet pull-up jumpers that Luke seems to specialize in.  7/11 and 2/4 from deep leading to 17 points.  We’ll take that in a heartbeat.

Defense

• Defense was non-existent for large portions of the first half when the Nets had the ball.  The biggest beneficiary of the Bucks charitable efforts on defense was Terrance Williams. In the second quarter Williams shot 8/9 and finished with 16 points.  Williams was having no trouble scoring off the pick and roll, with Bogut struggling to get out on him.  Williams rarely even had to take a tough shot, shooting right up and over Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Charlie Bell. Surely Williams ended up with a monster night, right?  Not so much.  He finished the second half without making another field goal, adding only four free throws to his total.  Whatever adjustment Skiles made worked wonders.

• It wasn’t Williams alone that struggled in the second half.  The Nets as a team shot 9/38 in the second half.  That’s less than 25 percent for those of you counting at home.  Regardless of how good of a job a team does defensively, a team has to be pretty bad to shoot less than 25 percent for an entire half.  This was a truly awful second half performance.

The second half was so bad, I thought CDR was going to snap.  He appeared to have gotten in a bit of a shouting match with assistant coach Doug Overton about what was going on on the court.  I couldn’t hear Overton, but my colleague Alex from BrewHoop suggested it had something to do with a stretch where CDR got blocked, turned it over, got it back and missed a lay-up.  CDR shouted at his bench, “we’re losing, what am I supposed to do?!”

I felt for CDR.  He was working hard, he was trying to make plays and he was saddled with some teammates who’ve been injured and/or unable to get the job done to get this team a win.  The whole team had that, “here we go again” look as soon as things started going South in the third quarter.  CDR seemed like he didn’t want to let it happen again.

But then I saw him talking to Jennings.

Jennings didn’t have his usual stellar game, finishing with as many turnovers as assists (eight) and 19 points, but he made enough plays to help guide the Bucks to a win.  He didn’t let anything sway him into making this the “Brandon Jennings Show” either.  When the Nets were shutting down the pick and roll, he didn’t force the action, rather he was patient and worked it around and then back down to Bogut.  CDR was talking to Jennings and wouldn’t stop while Jennings was on the free throw line.  This didn’t look like the good natured, “you’re getting it done rook” kind of friendly trash talk either.  I asked Jennings about it after the game.

Bucksketball:  I saw CDR barking at you at the line.  Was that him talking trash to try and get in your head?

Jennings: Oh yeah, just a little trash talk.  On that play where I got fouled, I got fouled pretty hard, so you know, some words exchanged.  It is what it is.

Bucksketball: You just brushing it off?

Jennings: Yeah, just brushing it off.  They’re the one’s 0-12 not us.

Judging from the way the Bucks encouraged Jennings to attack the Warriors for disrespecting him (he says it was Kelvin Sampson that told him they were being disrespectful and to shoot more to make them pay) and the way Jennings kept the Bucks focused and intense down the stretch, upsetting the kid is not the way to attack the Bucks.

Frankly, it’s becoming more and more difficult to figure out how to attack these Bucks, much to the delight of a (hopefully growing) base of fans.

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(Likely) Inactives: Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian and Keyon Dooling (but there are about six guys to choose from for these three spots)

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Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 5-3

(Likely) Inactives: Michael Redd, Francisco Elson and Joe Alexander

Game time: 7:00 (CST)

TV: FSN

Match-ups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Rafer Alson

Skip is no longer the lightening quick, all handle-no shot, playground legend he was when he first entered the league as a Milwaukee Buck, but he can still hold his own.  Over the years he’s actually worked his way into being an adequate three-point shooter and is shooting nearly 40% from deep this year.  And the other day he even recorded his very first triple double, so there has been some upside to the rash of injuries that have left the Nets battered, bruised and winless.  It would have been something to watch Devin Harris match quickness with Jennings.  Maybe next time.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Shooting Guard

Charlie Bell vs. Courtney Lee

Lee didn’t play against the Pacers Tuesday, but has been practicing since last Thursday.  I’m thinking he might give it a go against the Bucks Wednesday night.  Lee was the Nets centerpiece in the Vince Carter to Orlando deal they made over the summer and figures to be an important player for them going forward.  He’s averaging almost 12 points per game, but is shooting 31% from the field and a grotesque 13% from deep.  That’s not exactly what they expected from him when they included Ryan Anderson to make Lee to Jersey happen.  With all the injuries the Nets have had this year, it’s possible Lee’s been gutting it out through some minor stuff though, so benefit of the doubt he’ll receive.  Lee can still contribute at the defensive end and his numbers remain strong there.  Alas, an injured Courtney Lee is not greater than what the Bucks will throw out there.

Advantage: Bucks

Small Forward

Carlos Delfino vs. Terrance Williams

Williams, a polished four-year product of Louisville surely has been providing terrific play as the result of all of his college basketball seasoning, right?  Wrong.  He’s been turning the ball over on 11.5% of his possessions (nearly Chuck Bell numbers), shooting 33% from the field and taking 12 shots per game.  I don’t fault him for shooting too much, the Nets have virtually no one else that can play right now.  But how does a guy with his talent shoot so poorly?  Well, he’s shooting 44% at the rim and NINE PERCENT from ten feet and in.  9%!  WOW.  I can’t even criticize that, that’s pure luck.  No way can a player with Williams skills and size that plays in the NBA consistently shoot so poorly from inside ten feet.  So he’s had some bad luck thus far and could even start to turn it around against Milwuakee.

Advantage: Nets

Power Forward

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Trenton Hassell

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it sure looks like Ersan will get his first start of the year against the Nets.  And it make sense.  Hakim Warrick has been struggling since becoming a starter and had success off the bench.  He’s more comfortable against the other teams backups, he can be more of a focal point with the second unit and his aggressiveness will return.  Ersan’s style can fit with anyone.  He waits for open looks, he crashes the boards and he plays pesky defense.  Perfect for the starting lineup or the bench.  He’ll have a favorable match-up in this one regardless of who covers him.  The Nets are playing without our old friend Yi Jianlian and likely without Eduardo Najera.  Size has been an issue for the Nets starting five since they went down.

Advantage: Bucks

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. Brook Lopez

When Bogut sees Lopez I’m sure his first thought will be, “Finally.  I was getting sick of chasing guys around the perimeter.”  Bogut’s had a couple of rough defensive games chasing Mikki Moore, Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden around 20 feet from the basket.  I’m sure it will feel nice facing a back-to-the-basket center.  Even if it is Lopez.  Lopez, drafted after Joe Alexander, has been terrific since arriving on the scene last year.  He hasn’t missed a game and leads the Nets in PER, points, blocks, rebounds and complaints to the refs.  Lopez is a Tim Duncan in training when it comes to problems with the referees.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Warrick, Luke Ridnour, Jodie Meeks, Dan Gadzuric and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

vs.

Bobby Simmons, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Sean Williams and Josh Boone

Douglas-Roberts was a man on Tuesday night, grabbing 12 boards to go along with 27 points.  If Lee doesn’t play, he’ll start and give Charlie Bell all kinds of problems.  Simmons can still hit an occasional three-point shot and is still under the contract he received from Larry Harris to help destroy the Bucks.  Simmons hit a couple clutch threes against the Bucks last year and then topped it off by having words for Milwaukee’s bench and then losing the game.  Nice, Bob.  Sean Williams is playing 11 minutes per game for a team that at times this year has only had eight guys.  Translation: Lawrence Frank doesn’t trust/like him.  Boone is clumsy.  That’s all I got for him.

Advantage: Bucks

Prediction: Bucks 96 – Nets 89

The Bucks defense has to come back one of these days right?  When is a better time than against the 0-11 Nets?  What worries me, is that the Nets have to win eventually and the Bucks are still probably the Bucks around the league.  I’d expect to see them come out with some fire, second night of a back to back be damned.  Defensive intensity has been non-existent for the Bucks in recent first quarters, so an expected line-up switch may help quell that issue.  The Bucks have this game and then the Bobcats on Friday, aka two games they absolutely need to win.  You have to dominate the bad teams at home if you want to be considered playoff contenders.

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