Bucks-Warriors Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 15 2012 3:13PM

On the verge of their longest winning streak in two years, the Milwaukee Bucks appear to have hit their stride.

They could become even more formidable with their new acquisitions in uniform.

With Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh hoping to suit up versus their former team, the Bucks kick off a two-game road swing against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night seeking a fifth consecutive victory.

In an attempt to bolster its postseason push, Milwaukee (19-24) sent Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State (18-22) on Tuesday in exchange for Ellis, Udoh and Kwame Brown. While Bogut (fractured ankle) and Brown (chest) are both uncertain to return this season, the Warriors traded Jackson to San Antonio on Thursday for Richard Jefferson.

Ellis and Udoh, meanwhile, can't play for the Bucks until Bogut completes his physical with the Warriors, and were held out of Wednesday's 115-105 win over Cleveland. Despite being short-handed, Milwaukee was able to pull away behind Drew Gooden's 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists and a combined 43 points from Ersan Ilyasova and Mike Dunleavy.

The Bucks' lone loss in their past six games was a 106-104 defeat to NBA-best Chicago on March 7, and they've since won four in a row to move into a tie with New York for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They haven't won five straight since a six-game run March 3-14, 2010.

Adding the speedy Ellis and his 21.9 points per game to the mix could further boost the Bucks' playoff hopes.

"Hopefully, we might even get a little bit quicker," coach Scott Skiles said. "Certainly Monta's quick - very quick. And hopefully we'll continue to kind of play in that style and move the ball around and cause people problems."

Udoh can cause problems at the defensive end, ranking among the league leaders with 1.7 blocks per game.

The Warriors did well in their first game without Ellis, winning 115-89 at Sacramento on Tuesday, but the next night they lost 105-103 to Boston. After Kevin Garnett hit the go-ahead jumper with 5.1 seconds remaining, Nate Robinson missed a 3-point attempt with a second left.

Robinson made his second consecutive start in place of Stephen Curry (sprained ankle), finishing with 20 points and a season-high 11 assists. Rookie Klay Thompson scored a season-best 26 and is expected to remain in the starting five with Ellis no longer around.

"We can't give up easy buckets because we don't have Monta to bail us out and score 40 a game," said Thompson, averaging 16.3 points over the last six games. "We just have to band together. We have done a great job at that the past two games and we have to do that Friday as well."

While Golden State's three-game win streak came to an end Wednesday, coach Mark Jackson was pleased with his team's effort. The Warriors shot 52.6 percent from the field and outscored the Celtics 60-42 in the paint.

"I could not be more satisfied with the energy, the effort, the commitment from my guys," Jackson said. "Now, we're not jumping up and down, but we certainly are not discouraged by what took place tonight. This is the type of performance to build on."

His team has played well on both ends of the court in the past four games, shooting a combined 52.1 percent from the field and holding opponents to an average of 93.5 points.

The Warriors had dropped four straight in this series before posting a 100-94 win Feb. 3, 2011, in the most recent meeting.

Curry is expected to be held out for the sixth time in 11 games.

Monta Ellis beats Warriors 120-98 in Bucks debut

By JANIE McCAULEY
Posted Mar 17 2012 1:57AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Monta Ellis succinctly made his point about helping sneak his new Milwaukee team into the playoffs as one of the final teams in the East.

"I think we're going to get it if we keep playing the way we did tonight," he said as the Bucks carried on their current roll.

Ellis returned to Oracle Arena in his much-hyped Bucks debut and finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists as one of six Milwaukee players in double figures in a 120-98 win over the Golden State Warriors that was plenty emotional for both sides.

Luc Mbah a Moute had a career-high 22 points and season-best 17 rebounds for Milwaukee, which played without starting forward Ersan Ilyasova because of an illness that kept him at the team hotel in San Francisco.

Drew Gooden added 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and Carlos Delfino had 15 points and nine rebounds as the Bucks extended their season-best winning streak to five games with their sixth win in seven.

Golden State dealt Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to Milwaukee on Tuesday for injured center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. On Thursday, the Warriors turned around and traded Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs for Richard Jefferson.

"Coaches, everybody was phenomenal. I think it made it smooth for me," Ellis said. "So, I got my first game under my belt and we'll go from there."

Ellis drew a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 19,596 as the final Bucks player announced in pregame introductions. Moments before tipoff, Ellis walked along the Warriors bench and gave hugs and handshakes to each of his former teammates before finding toddler son, Monta Jr., and embracing the boy.

Ellis raised both arms in the air and waved as he left the court following the game to yet more applause.

Ellis, who spent most of seven seasons with the Warriors, gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead when he hit a 15-footer at the 11:18 mark of the first quarter. A tribute highlight video played to Green Day's hit "Time of Your Life" during a timeout with 5:35 remaining in the opening quarter that ended with "THANK YOU!" on the main scoreboard. Ellis, who didn't see the tribute, saluted the fans before play resumed, then immediately knocked down a 20-footer.

"It was touching but at the same time I still had a job to do," Ellis said. "We came out and played as a team, got the win, that's all that matters. It felt great, I felt loose."

A billboard near the main entrance to an Oracle Arena parking lot still features a life-size picture of Ellis with his white No. 8 Warriors jersey. He's pumping his right fist in celebration.

Ellis is rejuvenated and eager for a fresh start in Brew Town - and Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles can't wait to have time to start designing plays around Ellis, who shot 6 for 15.

"We've had a three-week stretch here where we've scored the ball," Skiles said. "One of the reasons we got Monta was to add another scorer out there late in the game."

Skiles played the guard for the entire first quarter before giving him his first break to start the second period. Skiles said before the game he would sit Ellis down if he sensed the guard was getting overly excited or trying to do too much.

"It's great man, it's even better to be out there on the floor with those guys sharing the ball," Ellis said. "We've got a lot of guys who can hit shots and make plays."

Warriors rookie Klay Thompson scored 19 points two days after going off for a career-best 26 in a 105-103 home loss to the Celtics. Thompson went 1 for 7 in the first quarter but wound up 6 of 17 from the field overall for his seventh straight game in double figures, but it wasn't enough to keep the Warriors from dropping their second straight since Ellis' departure following a three-game winning streak.

"We took all the punches and threw none. For the first time in a while we didn't make the team that we played against feel us. They did whatever they wanted to do. It was an embarrassing effort," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "They destroyed us. They treated us like we were their little brothers. Any way you look to define being thoroughly outplayed and physically beaten up, we made a case for it."

Golden State got outrebounded 54-35 and gave up 52 points in the paint - something the Warriors hope will change once Bogut returns to the court from a broken left ankle.

Udoh, Golden State's sixth pick in the 2010 draft out of Baylor, received his own cheers when he entered the game late in the first quarter. He had four rebounds and four fouls with zero points in 20 minutes off the bench.

Meanwhile, former Warriors forward Mike Dunleavy was booed when he checked into the game with 2:56 to go in the first quarter. Dunleavy led all Bucks scorers with 24 points off the bench.

Stephen Jackson had yet to pass his physical with the Spurs, so Jefferson had to watch alongside Bogut rather than make his Warriors debut. Bogut and Jefferson were introduced on the big screen early in the second quarter.

The Warriors trailed by as many as 19 in the first quarter 31-12. Golden State got back within seven following a 3-pointer by Thompson only to fall behind 56-43 at halftime.

"It was a different feeling but it's not an excuse for the way we played tonight," said Golden State's David Lee, who scored 22 points. "The things that we had accomplished the last two games, where we were sharing the ball well, our defensive intensity, controlling the glass better, all those things went out the window tonight."

Milwaukee has scored 100 or more points in six straight games, improving to 16-4 overall in such games.

Notes: Bogut, wearing a walking boot for his ankle injury, will undergo another MRI in 2 1/2 weeks to determine his healing. He also had a broken right elbow. "I've gone on Google and researched my injuries and they're not chronic," said Bogut, who signed autographs and even signed on an Ellis Warriors jersey for 16-year-old fan Mark Caramat. ... The Warriors' 12 first-quarter points were a low for the opening period this season. ... Mbah a Moute shot 7 for 7 in the first half and finished with his second double-double of the season, second in a row and 18th of his career. ... Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens watched courtside along with former Warriors star Al Attles.

Notebook: Bucks 120, Warriors 98

Posted Saturday March 17, 2012 2:06AM

By Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis had 18 points in his Milwaukee debut, helping his new team beat his old one as the Bucks topped the Golden State Warriors, 120-98 Friday for their season-best fifth consecutive win. Milwaukee put six players in double-figures, including another ex-Warrior, Mike Dunleavy, who came off the bench to score a game-high 24 points.

Luc Mbah a Moute, pressed into starting duty at power forward for the Bucks with Ersan Ilyasova unavailable due to illness, put up a career-high 22 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds.

Beno Udrih had a game-high nine assists for the Bucks, who totaled 33 on the evening and topped the 30-assist mark for a third straight game. That's the longest such streak for Milwaukee since April 2001.

David Lee paced Golden State with 22 points, but the Warriors trailed by 19 after the first quarter and never led the contest.

QUOTABLE: "We just kind of got into a groove of sharing the ball, and it gets contagious. When that happens, you get games like that where there's a lot of assists, guys are knocking down shots, in a rhythm, feeling good, and it was great to be a part of."
-- Dunleavy

TURNING POINT: The Bucks scored the final 13 points of the first quarter to turn an already-large lead into an insurmountable deficit. Ellis had four points in that run, and Milwaukee was up 31-12 at the end of the period. The Bucks' advantage would eventually balloon to 30 points before Milwaukee coasted home.

QUOTABLE II: "I don't think that way, so I can't comprehend that taking place. The mindset should be, 'Hello, nice to see you. Congratulations, and let's hit the deck and let's go -- I'm going at you.' Obviously, that wasn't our mindset tonight. We took all the punches and threw none."
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson, on whether the emotion's of Ellis' return played a part in Golden State's slow start

INSIDE THE ARENA: Ellis, the former face of the Warriors franchise until Tuesday's trade, received a roaring, standing ovation during pre-game introductions that lingered as he waved to the Oracle Arena crowd. Ellis walked down to the Warriors bench just before tip-off and hugged several former teammates, then continued his pre-game tradition by reaching into the crowd to give a kiss to his young son, Monta Jr.

QUOTABLE III: "(The ovation) was great. It was touching but, at the same time, we still had a job to do. We came out, played like a team, got the win. That was all that mattered."
-- Ellis

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Continuing his recent run of sparkling play, Dunleavy -- who was traded from Golden State more than five years ago but still hears boos from the Oracle Arena crowd -- went 7-for-8 from the floor, 4-for-5 on 3-pointers and threw in four assists against zero turnovers for good measure. It was Dunleavy's sixth consecutive game with more than 15 points, as he continues to build a potential case for Sixth Man of the Year voting.

HOT: With Ilyasova resting at the team hotel due to a bronchial problem, Mbah a Moute stepped into the lineup and provided an immediate boost, with eight points (4-for-4 floor) and six rebounds in the pivotal first quarter.

NOT: Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who stepped into Ellis' old spot in Golden State's lineup, was 1-for-7 in the first quarter, and though he recovered to go 5-for-10 the rest of the way, the damage was undeniably done.

GOOD MOVE: It wasn't just that the Bucks passed the ball around Friday, it was the fact that they were so democratic with the distribution of shot attempts. Three members of the starting five took 15 shots (Ellis, Mbah a Moute and Brandon Jennings), another had 14 (Drew Gooden) and the last had 10 (Carlos Delfino). All told, the Bucks' starting five totaled 84 points.

NOTABLE: Bucks coach Scott Skiles said he didn't know how long Ilyasova might be out for, although he can rest up for a couple of days. Milwaukee is staying in the Bay Area through the weekend before heading Monday to Portland for its next game. ... The Warriors' 12 first-quarter points were a season-low for Golden State. ... Richard Jefferson, acquired by Golden State on Thursday from San Antonio in exchange for Stephen Jackson, was at the arena but not cleared to play, because Jackson had yet to take his physical with the Spurs.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Saturday @ Utah, Monday vs. Minnesota, Wednesday @ New Orleans. For the Bucks, Tuesday @ Portland, Thursday vs. Boston, Friday @ Charlotte.

• Bucks: Brown, Ilyasova
• Warriors: Bogut, Ford, Jefferson

• Bucks: --
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #32 Eddie F. Rush, #16 David Guthrie, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:05