GAMEDAY: Milwaukee vs Houston - 12/10/10

The Great Milwaukee Bucks Mashup of 2010

Bucks vs Rockets
The cohesiveness of the Bucks is at a season-best right now. Players are looking more comfortable with each other and it shows in the results. It couldn't have come at a better time either, with December concluding with six of eight games on the road.... Read Full Article

• Tonight closed out the Bucks four game home stand. With tonight's win the Bucks finish the home stand 3-1. Five of the next six games for Milwaukee will take place on the road.
  
  
• Tonight marked the 34th birthday of the MACC Fund. The Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund was founded by Eddie Doucette and Jon McGlocklin on December 10, 1976.
  
  
• Tonight's game against Houston was the start of three straight games against Southwest Division opponents. The Bucks travel to Texas next week to face Dallas on Monday and San Antonio Wednesday.
  
  
• Luc Mbah a Moute collected his 1,000th career rebound in the first quarter of tonight's game.
  
  
• Milwaukee shot 57.1 percent (12-21) from the field to take a 27-24 lead in the first quarter. The quarter included eight ties and four lead changes.
  
  
• The Bucks led the Rockets 47-43 at the end of the first half. Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee with nine points each and Kevin Martin led Houston with 10 points. Bogut also had 10 rebounds at the half and Larry Sanders recorded three blocked shots. The Bucks shot 50.0 percent (20-40) from the field and held Houston to 39.5 percent (17-43) from the field. With the loss for Houston, the Rockets fall to 2-9 when trailing at the half.
  
  
• Andrew Bogut tallied his eighth double-double of the season with 24 points and 22 rebounds. It's Bogut's fourth straight double-double since returning from his injury. It is the fourth time in his career Bogut notched a 20-20 game, his first since February 22, 2010 and is the only Buck to record more than two 20-20 games since the 1986-87 season. Entering tonight's game Bogut had been averaging 19.7 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks since returning to play.
  
  
• Andrew Bogut recorded his fourth block of the game in the fourth quarter, moving him ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for fourth (496) all-time on the franchise block list. Bogut finished tonight's game with five blocks.
  
  
• Courtney Lee tied a season high with 16 points for Houston. It is the third time this season Lee has logged 16 points.
  
  
• With Andrew Bogut scoring 24 points, 22 rebounds, and 5 blocks the Bucks have now had a player record a 15-5-5 stat line in each of their 9 wins. John Salmons also finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
  
  
• The Bucks shot 48.1 percent (38-79) from the field tonight. With tonight's win Milwaukee improves to 6-1 on the season when shooting 45.0 percent or better.
  

15/5/5=W - The formula for a Bucks win continued to hold true on Wednesday night, although in a different combination than the seven wins in the past. Andrew Bogut proved that blocks are an acceptable substitute for assists in his 17-point, 11-rebound and five-block performance. In each of the team's wins, one player has had at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists or blocks. Brandon Jennings leads the team with five of these games, while Ersan Ilyasova, John Salmons and Bogut have each chipped in with one.

BIG MAN'S BIG GAME - Andrew Bogut is averaging 19.7 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in his three games since being sidelined due to back spasms, and had another big game against the Pacers Wednesday, recording 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Bogut joins just three other NBA players (Darko Milicic, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol) that have had a game with at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks this season. Wednesday's performance was also Bogut's third five-plus block performance of the year. Only Atlanta's Josh Smith has had more games with five or more blocks (five) and Minnesota's Milicic is the only other player to record three five-plus block games.

SECOND CHANCES AT THE BC - The Bucks have been taking advantage of second-chance points at the Bradley Center this year, outscoring their opponents by an average of 15.0-9.5 (165-105) in the category. The Bucks have had a greater number of second chance points in nine of the team's 11 home contests, thanks to their efforts on the offensive boards. In those nine contests, in which Milwaukee went 5-4, the Bucks have held a 130-73 (14.4- 8.1 per game) edge in offensive rebounding. Overall this season, the Bucks are averaging 12.3 offensive rebounds (seventh in the NBA) and are holding their opponents to a league-low 8.7 offensive boards.

NEARING NUMBERS - A few personal milestones are on the way for Bucks players. Ersan Ilyasova needs one 3-pointer (currently at 149) to reach 150. Andrew Bogut (492) is four blocks away from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (495) for fourth in franchise history, and (346) four games from 350. Carlos Delfino (249) is one steal away from 250 for his career and (346) needs four threes to reach 350. Drew Gooden (445) is five steals away from 450, (596) four games away from 600 and (394) six blocks away from 400. The Bucks franchise (1,798) is two wins from 1,800. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (997) is three rebounds away from 1,000.

• The Bucks would like to wish a Happy Birthday to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund, which was founded on Dec. 10, 1976. The MACC Fund has been helping to raise money to fight childhood cancer for 34 years. Visit www.MACCFund.org for more info. The TODAY'S TMJ4 Sports Auction 4 MACC is Saturday, Dec. 11, from Noon - 2 p.m. See the list of amazing prizes!
  
  
• Tonight, the Bucks face the Houston Rockets in the first of three consecutive contests against Southwest Division teams. The Bucks will travel to Dallas for a game against the Mavericks on Monday before heading to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Wednesday.
  
  
• This Wednesday, the Bucks defeated the Pacers 97-95 at the Bradley Center. Ersan Ilyasova netted a seasonhigh 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and Brandon Jennings led the Bucks in scoring with 22 points.
  
  
• Brandon Jennings is averaging 22.9 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds over the past seven games.
  
  
• Milwaukee has had equal or fewer amounts of turnovers than its opponent in its last eight games. Over the last eight, Bucks foes are averaging 15.1 miscues per game while the Bucks have just 11.3 per game.
  
  
• The Bucks are fifth in the league by grabbing 41.4 rebounds per game and lead the league by snagging 77.9 percent of the available defensive rebounds.