Bucks-Rockets Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 24 2012 9:18PM

The Houston Rockets are back on track with their longest winning streak in four seasons, but coach Kevin McHale has a bigger concern - the Milwaukee Bucks.

Houston looks for its eighth straight victory and 12th in a row at home in this series Wednesday night when the Bucks go for their first three-game road winning streak in two seasons.

Since losing a season-high four in a row to open the new year, the Rockets (10-7) have won eight of nine. Monday's 107-92 victory at Minnesota gave the team its longest winning streak since a franchise-record 22-game run from Jan. 29-March 16, 2008.

"This is a next-game league," McHale said following Tuesday's practice. "You don't look behind too much, you don't look ahead too much. Our biggest challenge right now is Milwaukee tomorrow night."

The Rockets open a stretch of three games in four nights, but they won't have to travel anywhere for their next four contests. Houston is looking to match its best start at home since opening 8-1 five years ago.

The Rockets have not dropped a home game to Milwaukee since a 98-93 loss Nov. 2, 1999.

The Bucks lost 93-84 in their last visit Jan. 17, 2011, to remain the NBA's only team without a victory at the eight-year-old Toyota Center.

Milwaukee (6-10), though, has been playing better away from home, winning its last two after going winless in its first eight road games. However, after posting wins at New York and Miami, the Bucks failed to record a season-high third straight victory on Monday, losing 97-92 at home to Atlanta.

"We played well on the road, and we were almost good enough tonight, but just came up a little short," Mike Dunleavy said after scoring a season-best 17 points.

The Bucks could have a much better chance of winning three consecutive road games for the first time since April 6-14, 2010, if Brandon Jennings and Shaun Livingston - who has started the last three contests - can slow down Kevin Martin and Kevin Lowry.

Martin is scoring 23.6 points per game during the winning streak - 4.1 more than his season average. He totaled 59 points as these teams split the two-game series in 2010-11.

Lowry is averaging 18.1 with 7.9 assists and 7.0 rebounds in the last seven games after recording his second career triple-double Monday with 16 points, 10 assists and 10 boards.

Backup point guard Goran Dragic leads the Rockets' reserves with 54 points during the 7-0 run, while forward Patrick Patterson has 47 with 23 rebounds during this stretch.

The two combined for 27 of the team's 36 bench points on Monday.

"It's always good to get balanced scoring and have everyone contributing to a win like that," Lowry said.

Rockets center Samuel Dalembert has been a major contributor since the team's last defeat Jan. 11 at San Antonio, averaging 13.1 points, 11.9 boards and 2.6 blocks.

Bucks center Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 10 rebounds in last season's loss in Houston. He scored 24 points with 22 boards and five blocks in a 97-91 home win over the Rockets on Dec. 10, 2010.

Jennings missed the Bucks' last defeat in Houston with a broken left foot. The third-year point guard is averaging 27.5 points and 7.0 assists in the last four games.

The Rockets are going for their first six-game home winning streak reeling off seven straight from March 14-April 3.

Jackson, Jennings lead Bucks over Rockets

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Jan 25 2012 11:20PM

HOUSTON (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks finally won in Houston, and they did it without their big man.

Stephen Jackson and Brandon Jennings each scored 20 points, Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 19 rebounds after Andrew Bogut sprained his left ankle, and the Bucks snapped an 11-game losing streak in Houston with a 105-99 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday night.

The 7-foot Bogut left in the first quarter and did not return. He wore a protective boot after the game, and he walked out of the locker room on crutches.

He had more tests scheduled for Thursday, and couldn't say when he might return to action. Milwaukee plays in Chicago on Friday night.

"I'm not going to speculate," Bogut said, "but it feels really sore and pretty painful. It's pretty swollen, the usual when you do an ankle. Once we get the swelling down, we'll probably get some MRIs and know a bit more."

The 6-10 Ilyasova ably filled in, blocking a shot and pulling down 14 defensive rebounds. He had four rebounds in the third quarter, when the Bucks outscored Houston 30-19 to retake control.

"I just try to bring the energy," Ilyasova said, "that's all I try to do."

Milwaukee's shooters did the rest, sinking a season-high 14 shots from 3-point range to win in Houston for the first time since Nov. 2, 1999, when the Rockets still played in the Compaq Center.

Kevin Martin scored 29 points, and Samuel Dalembert had 13 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for the Rockets, who had a seven-game winning streak snapped. Houston was 8 for 31 from 3-point range and dropped to 7-2 at home this season.

The Rockets led by nine points at halftime, then let the Bucks shoot 57 percent (12 of 21) in the third quarter to give it away.

"You can't let up that quickly," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "We had plenty of chances out there to take this game, to control this game. In the third quarter, we let it get away from us."

The Rockets had started fast at home during their winning streak, but missed their first six shots on Wednesday. Carlos Delfino and Jennings hit 3-pointers during Milwaukee's opening 12-0 run.

Bogut sprained his left ankle after colliding with Kyle Lowry on a drive, and then awkwardly landing on the Rockets' point guard's foot. He limped to the locker room with 2:31 left in the quarter, and the Rockets finished with a 14-9 spurt to trail only 29-23.

The top overall pick in 2005, Bogut missed a game earlier this month with concussion-like symptoms. That followed a four-game absence to attend to personal business back home in Australia.

"Someone has a voodoo doll and is putting pins in me," he said.

Without Bogut inside, the Bucks shot 25 percent (6 for 24) and were outrebounded 20-12 in the second quarter.

Martin swished a 3-pointer 18 seconds into the second half. Houston held a double-digit lead for the 11th consecutive game, its longest streak since 2008, when the Rockets built double-digit leads in 20 consecutive games during their 22-game winning streak.

Jennings kept Milwaukee close with three 3-pointers in the third quarter. Dunleavy's first 3-pointer since Dec. 30 cut the deficit to one, and Beno Udrih's mid-range shot put the Bucks ahead 72-70 heading to the fourth.

Dunleavy was 0 for 13 from 3-point range in three previous games since coming back from a groin injury.

"It's been a while since I made one," Dunleavy said. "When you see it go in, you actually believe that there's not a lid on there. After that, you shoot it a little bit more confidently."

The Bucks' lead swelled to 17 before the Rockets mounted a charge, started by another 3-pointer by Martin. Lowry sank a 3-pointer and Goran Dragic scored on a drive to pull Houston within four, at 98-94, with a minute left.

Drew Gooden swished two free throws with 33 seconds remaining, though, and Milwaukee hung on for its third straight road win.

"That's big for us," Jennings said. "We just stayed together toward the end of the game."

NOTES: The Bucks were the only team in the league without a victory in the Toyota Center. ... Bogut made his 400th career start. He had a blocked shot before leaving, and now has a block in 10 consecutive games. ... Lowry had 10 assists. He has at least eight assists in 12 games this season, and the Rockets are 8-4 in those games. ... Houston had a 52-43 edge in rebounds.

Notebook: Bucks 105, Rockets 99

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 25, 2012 11:40PM

THE FACTS: The Milwaukee Bucks watched Andrew Bogut go down with another injury, but that did not stop them from cooling off what was the hottest team in the NBA.

Stephen Jackson came off the bench to score 20 points, and Brandon Jennings added 20 points and six assists as the Bucks halted the Houston Rockets' seven-game winning streak with a gritty 105-99 victory on Wednesday at Toyota Center. Milwaukee (7-10) erased a 12-point second-half deficit despite playing without its starting center Bogut, who went to the locker room near the end of the first quarter after suffering a sprained left ankle when he landed awkwardly on Kyle Lowry's foot.

Neither Bucks coach Scott Skiles nor Bogut wanted to speculate over how long Bogut will be sidelined, but Bogut said his X-rays did not reveal any serious problems. Bogut, who was wearing a walking boot after the game, will be re-evaluated tomorrow before a decision is made about his availability for Friday's matchup with Chicago.

Kevin Martin netted a game-high 29 points to lead Houston (10-8), while Luis Scola chipped in with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and eight rebounds. A lack of defensive energy plagued the Rockets, who allowed Milwaukee to score 63 points and shoot 9-for-14 from behind the arc after halftime.

QUOTABLE: "I do [feel snakebit]. It's like someone has a voodoo doll [of me] and is putting pins in it. ... [My ankle] is pretty painful ... but once we get the swelling down and go get MRIs, we'll see."
-- Andrew Bogut on his bad luck with injuries during his career

THE STAT: The Bucks became the last existing NBA franchise to earn a victory at Toyota Center, where they were 0-8 all-time entering Wednesday, and won in Houston for the first time since Nov. 2, 1999.

TURNING POINT: After ending the first half on a 25-6 run, the Rockets appeared to have control and led 66-58 with 3:49 left in the third quarter. But suddenly, Houston could not put the ball in the hoop. The Rockets failed to make a field goal over the next seven-plus minutes, and Milwaukee took full advantage by slinging in a few 3-pointers during a 28-6 run that gave it an 86-72 lead with 8:30 remaining in the fourth period.

QUOTABLE II: "We had plenty of chances out there to take this game, to control this game. In the third quarter, we let it get away from us. That's on us. ... We gave up 63 points in the second half. There's no excuse for that."
-- Houston coach Kevin McHale

HOT: Jackson delivered by far his best performance since he was suspended one game for missing a team shootaround last week. He finished with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, including 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range, three assists, two steals and one block. Jackson also played a pivotal role in limiting Martin and Courtney Lee to a combined 14 points on 5-for-14 shooting in the second half.

NOT: Lowry shot 0-for-8 in the first half, but he did make positive contributions of seven assists and six rebounds. In the second half, Lowry not only continued to throw up bricks (2-for-8) but also failed to make other plays to jump-start Houston's struggling offense.

GOOD MOVE: Bogut's injury could have left the Bucks discouraged, but they continued to play with great intensity and teamwork despite watching an early double-digit lead transform into a 12-point deficit. Milwaukee's team effort was reflected on the stat sheet as the Bucks' bench outscored Houston's reserves 48-4 over the third and fourth periods.

BAD MOVE: Milwaukee is not a great 3-point shooting squad, but it gained confidence early by knocking down four wide-open looks from behind the arc in the first quarter. The Rockets seemed content with continuing to allow the Bucks to launch it from the perimeter, and Milwaukee made Houston pay by knocking down 14 of 29 attempts (48.3 percent) from behind the arc.

QUOTABLE III: "We can't win games when we play defense like that. We have to have a much better effort on the defensive end."

-- Rockets forward Chandler Parsons

NOTABLE: Milwaukee has won three straight road games for the first time since April 2010. ... The Bucks were outrebounded for the first time in six games. ... The Bucks' backups outscored and outrebounded Houston's bench 66-15 and 30-7, respectively. ... Milwaukee's opponents have drained more free throws (339) than Milwaukee has attempted (326) this season. ... At least one Bucks reserve has scored at least 10 points in 10 consecutive games. ... Milwaukee improved to 5-1 when scoring at least 100 points. ... The Bucks won for the first time this season when trailing at halftime. ... Milwaukee forward Ersan Ilyasova grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds. ... Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half. ... The Rockets fell to 9-2 when leading at halftime.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Friday @ Chicago, Saturday vs. L.A. Lakers, Monday vs. Detroit. For the Rockets, Friday vs. Washington, Saturday vs. New York, Monday vs. Minnesota.

• Bucks: Brockman, Hobson
• Rockets: Morris, Thabeet

• Bucks: --
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #13 Monty McCutchen, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 10573
• Duration: 2:07