GAMEDAY: Milwaukee vs Los Angeles Clippers - 02/14/11

Head Coach Scott Skiles

On tonight's game ...
"We had a little bit extra tonight. We normally play pretty hard but there's a difference between playing hard and playing the level we were playing tonight. We had a lot of fight in us, really competed for it and as a result we got a good win."

On guarding Blake Griffin ...
"I doubt anybody's going to guard him (Blake Griffin) any better than that one on one. The guys were really active on the perimeter. We were sinking down into his lap and still recovering out to their people. That guy is so big and quick and Luc (Mbah a Moute), he did a great job on him, no question."

On offensive execution ...
"Right from the start there was less dribbling around all over the place and more passing and that's how we need to play and as a result we shot the ball well. I thought it was John's (Salmons) best game, John was very, very good. He kind of started the whole thing off with his passing early in the game. You could tell it caused the guys to relax and step into some shots and start knocking them down."

Forward Luc Mbah a Moute

On the team defense...
"I think the intensity overall was pretty good. It was probably the best we've had in a while. I think guys were just very focused and up to the task. Everybody wanted to be good and defensively we stepped up. Even when I was on Blake (Griffin) I always had somebody come and help out, kind of almost double-teaming him. We just played hard."

On the win...
"We keep saying we need to make this push and it's (the time) is right now. I think tonight was one of the best night's we've played in a while and I think we need to continue to play at this level if we want to make a push, that push we're always talking about."

Guard John Salmons

On tonight's game ...
"That's probably one of the best offensive games we've had all year. That's what we've been striving to do since the beginning of the year, it just came together for us today. We were moving the ball, I tried to find the open man and guys were knocking down shots."

On continuing to win...
"We just have to remember how this feels. We have to love winning, love the feeling of winning, and know how we did it. We need to know that we moved the ball, we played great defense, we had a game plan, and we executed to the fullest on both ends of the court."

• Drew Gooden was inactive for the 14th straight game with plantar fasciitis, and Corey Maggette was inactive with lower back soreness. Ersan Ilyasova was hit in the right eye during the first quarter and did not return, playing only 1:51.
  
  
• With tonight's win, the Bucks are now 7-18 versus Western Conference opponents. Milwaukee will face four more opponents from the West this season (Minnesota, Phoenix, Sacramento and Oklahoma City).
  
  
• Milwaukee is now 11-13 against opponents with a sub-.500 record (on the day of the game).
• The Bucks exceeded 100 points for the first time in nine games.
  
  
• The Bucks are now 14-9 when tied or leading at the end of the first quarter, and 17-5 when tied or leading after three quarters.
  
  
• Milwaukee opened a 13-point lead in the second quarter thanks to a 21-10 run. The Clippers closed within two points on a last-second three before the half. After falling behind by four early in the third, L.A. took the lead at 5:46 in the same period.
  
  
• Carlos Delfino helped fuel a 14-1 run early in the fourth quarter with three 3-point shots. Delfino finished with seven tres - his single game career high (his reached his previous high of six three times, the last being January 16, 2010 at Utah). He finished with 26 points, on 9 of 15 from the field.
  
  
• The Bucks shot 51.5 percent on the night, having averaged 42.3 percent shooting coming into the game (last in the league).
  
  
• John Salmons recorded his first double-double since February 8, 2009 when he was with Sacramento (at Oklahoma City) and had 11 assists and 23 points. He finished tonight with 12 dishes (tied a career high) and 16 points.
  
  
• The Bucks held the Clippers to 27.8 percent shooting during the first quarter, and 37.1 percent overall. Milwaukee came into the game holding its opponents to an average of 44.8 percent shooting per game (good for 11th in the league). L.A. was averaging 45.7 percent shooting before the game (18th in the league).
  
  
• Brandon Jennings got off to a quick start, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. Jennings accounted for 11 of the Bucks first 13 points, and 50 percent of their offense in the first period. Jennings finished with 20 points -his highest point total since netting 20 at Washington on February 9 - along with four assists and five boards.
  
  
• After not recording a block during the last game versus Indiana on Saturday, Andrew Bogut wasted no time swatting his first shot tonight, blocking DeAndre Jordan's shot at the 7:43 mark in the first quarter. Bogut finished with three blocks (he came into tonight's game averaging 2.8 per game, to lead the league). Bogut fouled out of the game at the 7:24 mark in the fourth. It is his second DQ of the season.
  
  
• Luc Mbah a Moute tallied his sixth double-double of the year, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds.

MIGHTY MAGGETTE - Corey Maggette tallied eight points before exiting in the first quarter Saturday night, ending his streak of 10-straight games of scoring in double-figures. He has put up 10 or more points in 15 of the last 17. Over those games (15 of which he started in), he leads the Bucks with 17.4 points on 50.5 percent (104-206) from the field. Out of those 17, Maggette has produced 20+ point outings in eight games. In addition to his scoring, Maggette has added 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in that stretch.

THREE FOR ME - In the last two games, the Bucks are 20-49 (40.8 percent) from 3-point range, (11-26 at Memphis, 9-23 vs. Indiana), for an average of 10.0 made 3-pointers per game. Forward Ersan Ilysaova has four 3's in the last two (4-6) while Brandon Jennings, John Salmons and Corey Maggette have two each. On the season, the Bucks are averaging 5.3 makes from long distance and in the six games prior to Friday's game at Memphis, Milwaukee was a combined 26-108 (24.1 percent) from 3-point range.

NEARING NUMBERS - Ersan Ilyasova played in his 200th career game Saturday night. Brandon Jennings also hit his 200th 3-pointer on Saturday. He is now 32 3-pointers away from passing Toni Kukoc and Lee Mayberry (231) for 10th place in franchise history. A few other notable milestones are on the horizon for the Bucks. Andrew Bogut (3,497) is three rebounds away from 3,500 and 23 rebounds from passing Glenn Robinson (3,519) for fifth place in franchise history. Bogut (573) is also 14 blocks away from passing Ervin Johnson for third in team history in blocks. John Salmons (494) needs six 3-pointers for 500.

STANDING GUARD - On Saturday night, Bucks backup point guards Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins combined for 24 points (9-15 from the field, 2-4 from 3-point range), five rebounds, four assists and just one turnover. In the five games prior to Saturday, Boykins was averaging less than five minutes a game and had three DNP-CDs. On Saturday, he logged 11:06 in reserve and finished 4-7 from the field (1-2 from 3-point range) for 11 points.

DE-FENSE! - The Bucks are fourth in the league in points allowed (93.0) and 11th in opponents shooting percentage (44.8). The Bucks have held 39 foes under 100 points (tied with Chicago for second in the NBA) and 17 opponents have been held to 89 points or less (T-6th). The Bucks have held 12 opponents to a shooting percentage of less than 40.0 percent (T-6th) and have gone 7-5 in those contests. In all of 2009-10, Milwaukee held 47 foes under 100, 28 under 90, and 19 under 40.0 percent shooting. Their points allowed last season was 96.0 (seventh) and opponents' field goal percentage 45.1 (10th).

• Corey Maggette left during the first quarter of Saturday's game with lower back pain. He is currently listed as day-to-day. Before exiting, he had eight points on 3-7 from the field (2-4 from 3-point range) in 5:50.
  
  
• The Bucks are in the midst of a stretch of four consecutive home games and are 0-1 so far after losing to Indiana Saturday. Three of those home games are prior to All-Star weekend. Following the break, the Bucks host Minnesota on Feb. 22 and travel to New York on Feb. 23 before returning to the BC for another four-game home stand.
  
  
• Monday also begins a stretch of three-straight games against the Western Conference. After the Minnesota game (Tues., Feb. 22), the Bucks have just three games (vs. Phoenix, March 4, vs. Sacramento, March 23, at Oklahoma City, April 13) against the West for the remainder of the season.
  
  
• Andrew Bogut failed to block a shot Saturday night, ending his blocks streak at 23 games. That is the fourth-longest streak this season. He also broke his streak of four-straight games with multiple blocks, which was the longest active streak in the league. Bogut still leads the league with 2.8 swats per game.
  
  
• Carlos Delfino had 21 points (7-15 from the field, 6-6 from the free throw line), five assists and three steals off the bench Saturday night. In the four games prior to Saturday, Delfino was averaging 7.8 points on 30.0 percent (12-14) from the field.