GAMEDAY: Milwaukee at New York - 1/20/12

Milwaukee Head Coach Scott Skiles
On tonight’s game:
“We had good ball movement.  Everybody came to the game with something positive for us and our defensive was pretty good.”

More on tonight’s game:
“You can see in a game like tonight…we are turned on.  We know what we are supposed to do…we just have to go out there and execute.  There was a lot of activity from the guys.”

On Shaun Livingston:
“He is a passer, playmaker for us.  It is nice to have it.  With Carlos (Delfino) and Jack (Stephen Jackson)…those guys are more threes than twos but Shaun he is a one or a two.”

On Brandon Jennings:
“Brandon was good.  He made big shots for us.  When we did get separation in the second half he was carrying us offensively.  This is our formula.  Everybody who played did something positive for us, we hustled and we got a big win.”

Brandon Jennings
On tonight’s game:
“We knew we had a chance to come in here and get the win if we move the ball tonight.”

On Carlos Delfino:
“Fino did a good job on Melo (Carmelo Anthony).  He played a big part in our victory.”

On playing in New York:
“I love the city.  It is the Mecca of basketball.  I am always playing basketball in the Summer.  It is not just the Garden…it is the whole city.  I love the vibe.”

More on tonight’s game:
“For us, really struggling on the road it was big for us to get a win.  Guys were making plays for everyone else.  We really counted on their switching so we were able to get in the lane.”

More on tonight’s game:
“They play a lot of switching defense so we were able to attack and make shots.”

BALL SECURITY – Throughout this season the Bucks have consistently ranked near the top of the NBA when it comes to forcing turnovers and turning them into points. Milwaukee sits at No. 7 in both categories with 16.9 opponent turnovers per game for 18.3 points per game. In addition, Carlos Delfino currently ranks second in the NBA's steals per turnover ratio at 1.89 (17 STLs, 9 TOs).

WINNING RATINGS – Defense wins championships, but it's been offense that has won games for the Bucks so far this season. In terms of offensive rating (an estimate of points scored per 100 possessions), four of the Bucks' topfive offensive outings of the season have resulted in victories, with the lone exception coming on 1/5 at Sacramento.

THINKING POSITIVE – Rookie Jon Leuer may not lead the team in scoring, but his presence on the court has given the Bucks a boost at both ends of the floor. Throughout the season the Bucks have outscored their opponents by 40 points when Leuer is in the game, and been outscored by 95 with him on the bench.

• Brandon Jennings and Carlos Delfino have posted five games apiece this season with 3+ threes. The Bucks and Orlando Magic (Ryan Anderson and Hedo Turkoglu) are the only teams in the league this season with a pair of teammates both recording five such games.
  
  
• For the fourth game in a row, at least one Bucks reserve has come off the bench to score 10 or more points.
  • 1/17 vs. DEN: Tobias Harris (14)
  • 1/16 @ PHI: Tobias Harris (12), Beno Udrih (10)
  • 1/13 @ DAL: Shaun Livingston (15)
  • 1/12 vs. DET: Ersan Ilyasova (14)
    
    
• The Bucks shot a combined 20-for-36 (.556) from behind the arc in home wins over San Antonio and Detroit last week, but are 15-for-61 (.246) in the three games since.
  
  
• Andrew Bogut has had three blocked shots in four of his last six games and is averaging 2.0 rejections per game on the season (6th in NBA).
  
  
• The Bucks have played just four games against the Eastern Conference thus far, the fewest conference games for any team. Golden State is next on the list with five, while no other Eastern team has played fewer than seven conference games. Milwaukee will play all but five of its 18 games against Western Conference foes before the All-Star Break.
  
  
• Rookie Jon Leuer has scored double-digit points in five of his last six games, the only Bucks player to do so.
  
  
• Ersan Ilyasova handed out his 200th career assist on 1/17 vs. Denver.
  
  
• Ilyasova (6) and Tobias Harris (5) combined to grab 11 offensive rebounds against Denver on Tuesday, marking the first time a pair of Bucks reserves grabbed 5+ offensive boards since Dan Gadzuric (7), Michael Ruffin (5) and Bobby Simmons (5) combined to grab 17 offensive rebounds off the bench on 3/2/08.