Pistons-Bucks Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 11 2012 6:35PM

While the Milwaukee Bucks haven't encountered any success on the road, they've been plenty impressive at home.

Looking to stay undefeated at the Bradley Center, Milwaukee tries to add to the Detroit Pistons' recent woes Thursday night.

The Bucks, who dropped to 0-6 on the road after losing five times on their recently completed trip, bounced back with Tuesday's 106-103 win over San Antonio. Milwaukee posted its highest-scoring game of the season in improving to 3-0 at home, where it's averaging 102.0 points on 48.8 percent shooting - significantly higher than its road marks of 88.8 and 40.3.

While returning home surely helped their cause, the Bucks (3-6) also greatly benefited from having former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut back on the court. After missing four games while dealing with personal issues in his native Australia, Bogut posted 14 points and 11 rebounds.

"It's just as important as having breath. We need the big fella," said Stephen Jackson, who recorded season highs of 34 points and eight assists. "To have him, to have a post presence ... it was definitely special. I can't say how big it was to have him back.

"We just wanted to get back to winning some games. It felt good to win at home, it was a big game and hopefully it will carry over to the next one."

Milwaukee has to like its chances of keeping things going against the reeling Pistons (2-8), who have been outscored by an average of 20.0 points during a five-game losing streak. One day after dropping to 0-4 on the road with a 92-68 loss to Chicago, Detroit fell 100-86 at home to Dallas on Tuesday.

"This process (of rebuilding) may be very painful," coach Lawrence Frank said. "It doesn't get better just because you want it to get better. I hope we are all frustrated, because when you are, you have two options. The first is to work harder and understand what you want to do. The second choice isn't an option.

"Everyone wants a baby, but few people want to go through the pregnancy. This is going to be hard."

The Pistons were without Rodney Stuckey (sore groin) and Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle) for a fourth consecutive game. Stuckey is averaging 10.8 points, while Villanueva has played just six minutes all season.

Brandon Knight, selected eighth overall in June's draft, has averaged 13.5 points while starting in place of Stuckey. He has, however, committed 17 turnovers over that stretch - including six of the Pistons' season high-tying 21 on Tuesday.

"You've got to take care of the ball to win games," forward Jonas Jerebko told Detroit's official website. " ... We're trying to keep our heads straight. It's early in the season. There are a lot of games left and we know how we can play, so we just have to stay positive. We're going to get some wins. We've just got to stay together."

While not much has gone their way recently, the Pistons have certainly held their own in this series of late. Detroit has won 14 of the last 19 meetings with Milwaukee, including 110-100 in the most recent matchup April 8 thanks in part to a combined 37 points from Stuckey and Villanueva.

The Pistons haven't lost six in a row since an 11-game slide March 13-April 3, 2010.

Jennings, Jackson leads Bucks past Pistons

Posted Jan 12 2012 11:25PM

MILWAUKEE (AP) Just 10 games into his NBA career, Jon Leuer found himself in the starting lineup for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The rookie from the University of Wisconsin helped the Bucks take an early lead and then turned it over to veteran guards Brandon Jennings and Stephen Jackson as the Bucks held off the Detroit Pistons 102-93 on Thursday night.

Leuer scored seven of his 15 points in the first quarter. He also had six rebounds.

"It is no different than coming off the bench," Leuer said. "It is always nice to have a few good things happen early and get in a rhythm. We got a nice lead, but they came back and then our big guys took over and we made a few more plays."

The big guys were Jennings and Jackson, who both made key plays in the fourth quarter after Detroit trimmed the Bucks' lead. Jennings led the Bucks with 27 points and Jackson added 25 points, one game after scoring a season-high 34 points.

The game was only the second in the shot-clock era without a missed free throw. The Bucks were 17 of 17 and the Pistons 24 of 24. The other game was Dec. 22, 2000, when Atlanta and Toronto hit all 16 free throws shot in the game.

Detroit's Tayshaun Prince hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut it to 94-89 with 2:36 remaining, then made a jumper with 1:23 left to trim the lead to three.

Jennings hit a driving layup with 1:08 remaining. Prince missed a shot from the corner, and Leuer scored on a dunk off a pass from Jackson with 25.6 seconds to go to give the Bucks a 98-91 lead. Jennings then hit four straight free throws to close out the Bucks scoring.

Jennings said he recently asked Phoenix point guard Steve Nash how he had won two Most Valuable Player awards and Nash told him it was due to "making plays down the stretch."

"That is something I worked on this summer," Jennings said. "Not always shooting, but making plays for everyone to make sure we get the best shot when it really counts."

Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Jennings was key in the Bucks getting the win.

"I thought he made good decisions with the ball and for the most part shot when he should have shot it," he said.

The Bucks improved to 4-0 at home and 4-6 overall, while the Pistons dropped to 2-9 with their sixth straight loss and fifth in a row on the road. Detroit last lost six straight from March 13-April 3, 2010.

Skiles became the 39th coach in NBA history to reach 400 victories. He is 400-388.

Greg Monroe led the Pistons with a career-high 32 points and had 16 rebounds. Rookie point guard Brandon Knight added 20 points.

"I just took what they gave me," Monroe said. "I was just able to knock down some open jump shots and get to the rim. I was just reading how they were playing me, trying to make plays and be patient."

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said he thought his team had played better than in recent games.

"There are no consolation prizes, but there was a different spirit out there a different fight out there," he said.

The Pistons went on an 8-0 run late in the second quarter to grab a 41-40 lead when Prince hit a short jumper with 2:12 remaining. It was the Pistons' first lead in more than 150 minutes and nearly 13 quarters. Detroit last led 30-27 against New York with 10:56 left in the second quarter Saturday.

The Bucks responded with 12-2 run, with Carlos Delfino hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it 52-43.

Notes: Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva missed his fourth straight game because of a sore right ankle. ... Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a sore groin. He scored 11 points in 21 minutes. ... For the Bucks, forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute missed his fifth straight game because of tendinitis in his right knee, and guard Beno Udrih missed his fourth game with a sprained left shoulder. Skiles said he hoped Udrih would play Monday night against Philadelphia.

Notebook: Bucks 102, Pistons 93

By Rick Braun, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 12, 2012 11:40PM

THE FACTS: Brandon Jennings scored 27 points, and Stephen Jackson added 25 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 102-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons Thursday night at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

QUOTABLE: "He's a good all-around player. If you watch him, rarely does he try to do too much. He stays within himself. He's a one- or two-dribble guy who doesn't normally take off and get himself in trouble. He can make those high-low passes. Anyone who can make a shot as a big guy is a dangerous player because people have to respect you and then you're able to do some other things. He also did have a couple of nice drives as well."
-- Bucks coach Scott Skiles on rookie Jon Leuer, who made his first start and posted 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots

THE STAT: The Bucks made 11-for-22 on 3-pointers to just 3-for-5 by the Pistons. It's the second straight game Milwaukee has shot at least 50 percent from the arc, as the Bucks hit on 9-for-14 in a victory over San Antonio Tuesday.

TURNING POINT: Detroit cut into an 18-point, third-quarter lead, and then trimmed a 94-82 deficit with 4:36 down to 94-91 with 1:23 left before Jennings drove the lane for a contested layup that stopped the Pistons momentum. The Pistons would never be closer than five the rest of the way.

HOT: Jennings made 9-for-15 shots, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. Jennings is 16-for-28 (57.1 percent) and 4-for-5 on 3-pointers in the last two games.

NOT: Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince went just 6-for-17 and had just one rebound. Prince is just 20-for-64 (31.3 percent) in his last six games.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Detroit center Greg Monroe went off for a career-high 32 points, and his 16 rebounds were just one short of tying his career best.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The first snowstorm of the season kept attendance down. While the crowd was announced as 11,465, there didn't appear to be more than 5,000 to 6,000 in the house. ... Buffalo Bills linebacker Nick Barnett, a former Green Bay Packer, was in attendance.

GOOD MOVE: Skiles moved Leuer into the starting lineup at power forward in place of Ersan Ilyasova and got a 29-point night out of the position. Leuer posted 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 31:32, and Ilyasova had 14 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes.

ROOKIE WATCH: Pistons point guard Brandon Knight went 7-for-9 and finished with 20 points and three assists.

NOTABLE: The two teams combined to go 41-for-41 on free throws, only the second time in the shot-clock era that neither team missed a free throw. The other time was on Dec. 22, 2000, when Atlanta and Toronto combined to go 16-for-16, with the Hawks making 11. ... Skiles recorded his 400th win as an NBA coach, becoming the 39th coach to reach that milestone. ... Milwaukee forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (right knee tendinitis) and point guard Beno Udrih (left shoulder sprain) and Detroit forward Charlie Villanueva (sore right ankle) missed the game.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Friday @ Charlotte, Sunday vs. Golden State, Tuesday at Houston. For the Bucks, Friday @ Dallas, Monday @ Philadelphia, Tuesday vs. Denver.

• Pistons: --
• Bucks: Dunleavy, Udrih

• Pistons: Maxiell
• Bucks: Jackson

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #6 Tony Brown, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 11465
• Duration: 2:18