GAMEDAY: Milwaukee vs Minnesota - 12/27/11

• Milwaukee opened the season last night in Charlotte, the 27th consecutive year in which the Bucks have opened on the road.
  
  
• Tonight marks just the second time Milwaukee has faced Minnesota in their home opener, previously posting a 111-93 win at the Bradley Center on Nov. 3, 1990.
  
  
• After going scoreless in one minute of action in his pro debut, Jon Leuer scored 14 points tonight on 5-7 shooting. Leuer’s effort is the highest scoring game by a rookie this season.
  
  
• The Bucks led 32-30 after the first quarter tonight despite committing 11 fouls in the frame leading to 20 Timberwolves free-throw attempts. Milwaukee allowed just 21 free-throw attempts total by the Bobcats last night in Charlotte.
  
  
• With the score tied at 42 early in the second quarter, the Bucks used a 12-1 run to take control. The Bucks forced five Timberwolves turnovers during the burst.
  
  
• The Bucks outscored the Wolves 48-28 in the paint tonight.
  
  
• Wolves forward Kevin Love went to the line 24 times tonight (making 19), establishing a new Wolves franchise record for free-throw attempts in a game. Love was previously tied with Tony Campbell at 23 attempts.
  
  
• Love had his second consecutive double-double to start the season, finishing with 31 points and 20 rebounds. Love finished second in the league last year with 64 double-doubles (Dwight Howard, 66).
  
  
• The Bucks are now 32 -12 all-time in home openers, including 12-2 over the last 14 seasons.

NEW FACES IN MILWAUKEE – Of the 15 players on Milwaukee's opening night roster, seven are entering their first season with the Bucks (Mike Dunleavy, Tobias Harris, Darington Hobson, Stephen Jackson, Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston and Beno Udrih). The eight returning players from last season are Andrew Bogut, Jon Brockman, Carlos Delfino, Drew Gooden, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Larry Sanders.

THREE THE KEY? – After ranking 24th in the league last season in three-point percentage, the Bucks added two prolific marksmen this offseason in Mike Dunleavy and Stephen Jackson. The eight returning Bucks this season (Bogut, Brockman, Delfino, Gooden, Ilyasova, Jennings, Mbah a Moute and Sanders) have combined to hit 892 treys over their respective careers, while Jackson alone has nailed 1,157 threes in the NBA (including eight straight years of 100+ threes). With 774 career threes, Dunleavy also nearly matches the combined total of his new teammates. Jackson's 1,157 threes rank him 40th on the NBA's all-time list, while Dunleavy (107th) is poised to climb into the top- 100 this season.

• The Bucks are 31-12 all-time in home openers, including an 11-2 mark in their last 13. Milwaukee beat Charlotte 98-88 in the home opener last season.
  
  
• Milwaukee has opened its home schedule against Minnesota just once previously, posting a 111-93 win at the Bradley Center on Nov. 3, 1990.
  
  
• The Bucks finished the 2011 preseason with a 0-2 record (both games against Minnesota). Overall, their preseason record is 178-162.
  
  
• Milwaukee opened the season last night in Charlotte, the 27th consecutive year in which the Bucks have opened on the road. The Bucks have now lost five straight season openers on the heels of a stretch in which they won 12 of 16 from 1991-2006.
  
  
• Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 22 points in the opener, the 44th game of his career with 20+ points.