GAMEDAY: Milwaukee at Chicago - 04/06/10

Head Coach Scott Skiles

On their defensive play...
"It was very impressive. We shot like 36 percent from the field and without the defense we didn't have a chance. In the second quarter we picked it up and created turnovers that helped us finish the first half. We were able to take a lead and get the momentum on our side. I'm just happy to get the win. We played really hard even though it was not a pretty game. We had open shots all night but just weren't making them. We thought we would but they didn't go in."

On getting to the playoffs...
"We're not taking a deep breath and relaxing as we just have to focus on patience and finishing the rest of the season. We can focus on our playoff position but need to finish out the season. Will I be able to relax? Yes, on the ride home and maybe then for a couple of hours to relax."

On the defense on Rose...
"Our goal with him is like it is for all the good ones and twos in this league. That is to make them play in a crowd. We need to make them pass like we did tonight. Sometimes our big guys did it and others our guards collapsed on them. The key moment in tonight's game I thought was in the first half. Both Kurt and Ersan got blocked shots. Those kept us in the game and allowed us to get organized."

Forward Kurt Thomas

On their strong second quarter...
"We just needed to settle down some out there. We had a lot of good looks but the shots were not falling. I couldn't throw it in the ocean tonight. I am a much better shooter than I am tonight but will gladly take the win."

On their first game with Andrew Bogut out...
"Without Andrew, we just don't have an inside presence. We really miss his defense, blocked shots, scoring and doing everything for us. It's not how I want to get minutes but I am enjoying every opportunity to play. It was nice to hear Scott say, 'great job' as I left the floor tonight."

Guard John Salmons

On their defensive play...
"We definitely knew we'd have to win this game at the defensive end. At the start of the second quarter we turned it up, got some stops and that's what turned our offense on. This is a big win for a lot of reasons. It's the first with Andrew out and our playoffs are clinched. Now as a team, we have to learn how to play without Bogut. Usually we would come out and just drop it into him. This win tonight is a really good start for us."

On his time in Detroit...
"When I got here, we were right there on the edge of making the playoffs. You never know what to expect, though. We have the talent to get into the playoffs. Scott took this team and has turned it around. Even before I got here we knew when we played the Bucks it would be a tough game and they'd play hard. Tonight you saw that. We didn't score a lot of points but we got the win."

THREE HISTORY - The Bucks are one three-pointer away from making history as the next triple will tie them for the most threes in a season in franchise history. The Bucks have hit 592 three-pointers this season, one short of that club record of 593 set in 2000-01. The Bucks 592 made threes rank them fifth in the league. Brandon Jennings Bucks rookie record 133 three-pointers rank second among rookies and tie him for 15th in the NBA.

NO JOHN DOE - Since being acquired by the Bucks in a trade deadline deal with the Bulls, John Salmons is making a name for himself in Milwaukee. The Bucks are 18-6 (.750) since acquiring Salmons. Over that span, he's averaging a team-high 20.0 points to go with 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals, leading or tied for the team lead in scoring in 12 of those games and scoring double-figures in 22 of the 24. He's also tallied 12 games with 20 points or more, including 20-plus performances in nine of his last 13 games. Salmons is shooting 46.3 percent with the Bucks, including 38.9 percent from long range.

MAGIC IN THE AIR? - The Bucks magic number needed to qualify for the playoffs is two, meaning that any combination of Bucks wins and Bulls losses totaling two will secure Milwaukee its first playoff berth since 2005- 06. Therefore, the Bucks can clinch a spot with a win tonight.

WINNING WAYS - The Bucks are back on the winning track as their win on Saturday guarantees them their first winning season since posting a 42-40 record in the 2002-03 season. The Bucks, who have the fifth-most wins of any NBA franchise since their inception in 1968-69, have now finished at .500 or above 25 times in their history. Milwaukee also has its most home wins (27) since posting a 27-14 mark in 2003-04 and they finish the year at .500 or better against the Western Conference (15-15) for the first time since a 14-14 finish in 2000-01. The Bucks have won 18 of their last 24 (.750) games.

IN THE LAST 24... - The Bucks have won 18 of their last 24 (.750) games, receiving key contributions from several different players. John Salmons is the team's leading scorer over that time with 20.0 per game (see the `No John Doe' note on page one for more on Salmons), followed by 15.8 points in 23 games from Andrew Bogut, 13.1 from Brandon Jennings, 12.9 in 20 games from Carlos Delfino and 10.0 from Ersan Ilysaova. Bogut has added 10.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game in that span while Jennings (5.2 assists) and Luke Ridnour (4.0) have been the main distributors.

• Bucks center Andrew Bogut sustained a dislocated right elbow, a sprained right wrist and a broken right hand after a fall against Phoenix on Saturday. Bogut is averaging career-highs in points (15.9) and blocks (2.5) this season and his 175 blocks on the year are the most by a Bucks player since Alton Lister had 177 in 1982-83, giving him the sixth highest single-season block total in Bucks history. Bogut, who is second in the NBA in blocked shots, is one of two players in the league averaging 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks (Dwight Howard is the other). No timetable has been determined for his return as of yet.
  
  
• The Monday, April 12 Bucks game against the Hawks (7:00 p.m. tip) will now be televised by FS Wisconsin.
  
  
• Luke Ridnour has scored double figures in seven of his last nine games, averaging 10.9 points and a team leading 5.2 assists and is shooting 49.4 percent (38-77), including 37.5 (9-24) from three-point range.
  
  
• The Bucks are 11-9 in the first game of back-to-back sets this season heading into the game with Chicago, which begins their third of four straight sets of back-to-backs. The Bucks have been even better in their second game of back-to-backs, posting a 13-7 mark in game two.
  
  
• Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds in his last four games, shooting 51.2 percent (22- 43) from the field in those four.
  
  
• Carlos Delfino is one assist from 500 career dishes and set a new single-season career-high with 122 threepointers after hitting three on Saturday, eclipsing his previous high of 120 with Toronto in 2007-08. In two games since returning form injury, Delfino is averaging 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 threes per game.
  
  
• Kurt Thomas is two blocks away from 750 for his career. Thomas has scored 10 points (his season-high) in two of the last three games.
  
  
• With Saturday's win, the Bucks have beaten six of the last seven teams they have played with better records than them on the day of the game.