Wizards-Bucks Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 27 2012 8:54PM

Despite a rough first half, the Milwaukee Bucks are still in the playoff hunt.

It would take a remarkable second-half run for the lowly Washington Wizards to be in that same position.

The Bucks and Wizards return from the All-Star break on Tuesday night when Milwaukee tries to avoid its first seven-game losing streak at the Bradley Center in 12 years.

Losers of nine of 12 heading into the break, including a 110-91 defeat at Chicago on Wednesday in their last game, the Bucks (13-20) trail eighth-place Boston by just 2 1/2 games in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Still, the team knows it must improve over the final 33 games to make a second postseason appearance in six seasons.

"I'm not going to lie," Brandon Jennings, the team leader with 18.4 points per game and 5.2 assists, said following Wednesday's loss. "I'm frustrated. I want to win. We all want to win."

If that's going to happen, the Bucks need Jennings to avoid more shooting slumps. He's back on track with 42 points in the last two contests, but he averaged 10.6 on 30.2 percent shooting during a five-game stretch from Feb. 4-13.

Jennings, though, hit 8 of 15 shots and scored a team-high 22 points in a 102-81 home win over Washington on Dec. 30.

The Bucks have won three straight and six of seven at home against the Wizards.

Milwaukee, though, is winless at the Bradley Center since opening 7-2 at home. The team hasn't lost seven straight to visiting opponents since Feb. 5-25, 2000.

The Wizards (7-26) will have to improve on the defensive end or they could leave Milwaukee with a fourth consecutive road loss.

Washington has given up 108.8 points per game while losing four straight overall.

"Until our team is committed to playing winning basketball - until they're committed to doing that - we're going to be like this team was tonight," coach Randy Wittman said following Wednesday's 115-107 loss to Sacramento.

As frustrating as its been for Wittman to watch his squad stumble into 14th place in the East, not all the news is bad for the Wizards.

Reserve guard Jordan Crawford is averaging a team-best 21.4 points on 54.1 percent shooting in the last five games, while John Wall has totaled 20.4 points, 8.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game during that stretch.

"As long as we keep doing what we're supposed to and getting better, and working and watching film, we can be something special," Wall said Friday after scoring 17 points with eight assists and six boards in the Rising Stars Challenge as part of All-Star weekend in Orlando. "But we've still got a lot to prove in this league."

Wall hasn't shown much in four career games against Milwaukee, averaging 10.3 points and missing 71.7 percent of his 46 field-goal attempts. He was 1 for 9 from the field Dec. 30, finishing with six points and seven assists.

Crawford scored a team-high 24 points in that contest.

The Bucks could have Drew Gooden back in the lineup after he missed the last four games with a sprained right wrist.

Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 18.3 points and 13.5 boards in Gooden's absence. Ilyasova had 16 points and seven rebounds on Dec. 30.

Milwaukee has won nine of 12 in this series.

Ilyasova's tip-in lifts Bucks over Wizards 119-118

Posted Feb 29 2012 12:04AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) When the Milwaukee Bucks needed a big play, Ersan Ilyasova was there to bail out Brandon Jennings.

Ilyasova tipped in Jennings' miss with 2.2 seconds left and the Bucks beat Washington 119-118 on Tuesday night, handing the Wizards their fifth consecutive loss.

"That gave me a lot of relief knowing that Ersan was there to clean up the mess," Jennings said, aptly describing his play in the final seconds.

Milwaukee's point guard dribbled the ball off his foot with 12 seconds left, then allowed John Wall to get by him and score on a running, 8-foot jumper for a 118-117 Wizards lead with 6.8 seconds to go.

After a timeout, Jennings took an inbounds pass and drove left of the lane, attempting a short jumper. It bounced off the rim, but Ilyasova had position and tipped in the miss for the winning points.

Washington's Chris Singleton had come across the lane and left Ilyasova open in an attempt to double-team Jennings. But that left the Bucks forward in position for an easy tip-in with no one to block him out.

"I found myself open," Ilyasova said. "I tipped it in and we won the game. It was the right spot for me."

Roger Mason Jr. received an inbounds pass on the baseline for Washington but was called for traveling with 1 second to go without getting off a shot.

"I feel bad for our guys that I missed that opportunity," he said. "I have had a bunch of those end-of-the-game situations and I have hit a bunch of them. This is the first time not coming through."

Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 28 points for the Bucks, who snapped a six-game losing streak at home.

Jennings finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Drew Gooden, who returned after missing four games with a sprained right wrist, had 15 points and 10 rebounds but landed hard on his back in the third quarter and did not return.

Trevor Booker scored 20 points while Wall and Jordan Crawford added 19 apiece for Washington.

Milwaukee opened a 22-point lead in the first half, but Washington hit six 3-pointers in the third quarter to get back in the game.

The comeback occurred after Wizards coach Randy Wittman benched starting center JaVale McGee in the second half and played leading scorer Nick Young for less than 5 minutes after halftime.

"We played guys who wanted to play defense in the second half," Wittman said.

Wittman was critical of his younger players.

"I am done with young guys," he said. "If they don't want to play the right way, the young guys aren't going to play. They are not learning anything when they play the way they want to play.

"It doesn't do us any good," Wittman added. "You get no development out of them if they are going in and playing the way they want to play and the way they did in that first half. ... They are not developing. All they are developing is bad habits. I went with guys that I knew that were going to go out there and bust their rear ends and try to do things the right way in the second half."

Bucks coach Scott Skiles blamed his team's defense for allowing the Wizards to mount a comeback.

"It's not open for a debate," Skiles said of his team's defense. "It's real. It happens."

Dunleavy made a pair of free throws with 1:21 left to give Milwaukee a 117-114 lead before Booker drove the lane and scored on a dunk to bring the Wizards within 117-116 with 1:05 to go.

Dunleavy and Jennings each missed 3-point attempts on the next possession, but Booker missed a tip on the other end.

Jennings drove to the basket but dribbled the ball off his foot with 12 seconds left, giving Washington a chance to win the game.

Wall scored to give the Wizards a brief lead before Ilyasova's clutch tip-in.

Washington erased a 14-point halftime deficit and took an 81-79 lead when Maurice Evans stripped Carlos Delfino and sprinted to a breakaway layup with 4:16 to go in the third quarter.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a rebound with 1 second left to give Milwaukee a 92-89 lead after three quarters.

Milwaukee took its biggest lead, 55-33, on Dunleavy's 3-pointer with 5:35 left in the second. The Bucks ran off 13 consecutive points in the 30-12 run to open a commanding cushion.

Dunleavy had 16 points in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, and Milwaukee took a 67-53 advantage into halftime.

NOTES: Gooden went to the locker room for a few minutes in the third quarter after being fouled by Singleton. Gooden landed on his back with a loud thud and returned to the bench but not the game. The team said he was not injured on the play. ... The 67 points scored by the Bucks in the first half were their most in a half this season, surpassing a 65-point first half in their first meeting with Washington on Dec. 30. ... Rookie F Tobias Harris returned after missing three games with a bruised right shoulder.

Notebook: Bucks 119, Wizards 118

Posted Tuesday February 28, 2012 11:52PM

By Rick Braun, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Ersan Ilyasova tipped in a Brandon Jennings' miss with 2.2 seconds as the Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 119-118 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at the Bradley Center.

Mike Dunleavy scored 28 points off the bench as the Bucks snapped a six-game home losing streak.

The Bucks led by as many as 22 points in the first half, but John Wall made a driving shot from the right side of the lane to give the Wizards a 118-117 lead with 6.8 seconds left. After a timeout, Jennings got a half-step on Wall and put up a floater from the left side of the lane. The shot bounced out, but Ilyasova was there for the tip.

QUOTABLE: "It was tough to finally get one at home, to pull it out. I thought we played well in the first half, but we let them back in it and let them hang around. Then in the third they made their run and it was a shootout from there. Fortunately, 'Ers' was in the right place at the right time and tipped that one in."
-- Dunleavy, who scored 16 of his 28 points in the second quarter

THE STAT: Five players recorded double-doubles. For Milwaukee, Drew Gooden had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Ilyasova finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Jennings had 14 points and 10 assists. For Washington, Wall had 19 points and 15 assists and forward Trevor Booker had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

TURNING POINT: Two 11-0 runs by Washington in the third quarter turned a game where Milwaukee led by as many as 22 in the first half into a shootout. Wall capped an 11-3 run that gave the Wizards the lead with 6.8 seconds left, but Ilyasova's tip was the last of 11 lead changes.

QUOTABLE II: "Brandon just penetrated and brought the defense to him. I kind of just tried to follow the ball and tip it in."
-- Ilyasova on his game-winning tip

HOT: Maurice Evans brought the Wizards back into the game with a 6-for-7 night that included 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

NOT: Jennings was just 6-for-18 and 1-for-5 from behind the arc, but his last miss of the night led to the winning basket when he drew two defenders.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, who signed a new contract last week, was in a courtside seat.

ROOKIE WATCH: Washington forward Chris Singleton had 16 points and nine rebounds. Milwaukee's Tobias Harris posted 11 points and seven rebounds.

NOTABLE: Jennings had a hand in the first 11 Bucks points, scoring on a jumper and dishing out assists on the other four baskets, including a 3-pointer by Ilyasova. ... When Jon Leuer scored with 11:10 left in the second quarter, the Bucks already had 10 players with at least one field goal. ... Gooden landed hard on his back with 6:53 in the third quarter after a foul on Singleton. He bounced up quickly, however, and made both free throws. He left with 5:29 remaining in the third and did not return and was walking quite stiffly after the game as the Bucks prepared to leave for their late-night flight to Boston.

UP NEXT: For the Wizards, Wednesday vs. Orlando, Friday vs. Cleveland, Monday vs. Golden State. For the Bucks, Wednesday @ Boston, Friday @ Atlanta, Saturday @ Orlando.

• Wizards: Turiaf
• Bucks: Bogut

• Wizards: --
• Bucks: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #42 Eric Lewis, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 13548
• Duration: 2:14