Bucks-Trail Blazers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 19 2012 2:35PM

The surging Milwaukee Bucks haven't experienced much success against the Portland Trail Blazers in recent seasons.

Newly acquired Monta Ellis could make all the difference.

The Bucks look to extend their winning streak to six for the first time in more than two years Tuesday night against the Trail Blazers, who try to continue their recent domination in this series as interim coach Kaleb Canales makes his home debut.

Milwaukee (20-24), sitting a half-game behind eighth-place New York in the Eastern Conference, bolstered its postseason chances Wednesday by sending injured Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State in exchange for a package headlined by Ellis.

Averaging 21.8 points, Ellis had 18 - one of six Bucks with at least 13 - in his debut as Milwaukee recorded its highest-scoring output of the season in Friday's 120-98 rout of the Warriors. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored a career-high 22 to go along with 17 rebounds.

"Coaches, everybody was phenomenal. I think it made it smooth for me," Ellis said.

"It's great man, it's even better to be out there on the floor with those guys sharing the ball. We've got a lot of guys who can hit shots and make plays ... I think we're going to get (in the playoffs) if we keep playing the way we did (Friday)."

The Bucks, who haven't won six in a row since March 3-14, 2010, are averaging 112.8 points during their current run - well above their season mark of 97.5.

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

Ellis has averaged 30.0 points on 53.4 percent shooting in his last four visits to the Rose Garden, and could prove to be a difference-maker for Milwaukee. The Bucks have dropped eight of nine to the Blazers, including five straight on the road by 12.6 points per contest.

Portland (21-24), which fired coach Nate McMillan on Thursday, returns home from a 2-5 road trip without two of its more notable players. The Blazers sent Marcus Camby to Houston and Gerald Wallace to New Jersey in separate deals before the deadline.

After defeating NBA-leading Chicago 100-89 in its first game under Canales on Friday, Portland couldn't keep up with West-leading Oklahoma City in Sunday's 111-95 loss. Jamal Crawford scored 23 points while Raymond Felton had 19 and seven assists for the Blazers, who, despite the result, seemed to be pleased with their effort.

"We're just going to continue to fight," Felton told the team's official website. "I feel like we're going in the right direction. ... We lost tonight but they had to fight. They had to play hard to beat us. That's the way we want to play."

The Blazers remain a handful of games out of the West playoff picture and could have a hard time making a move if LaMarcus Aldridge continues his subpar play. The All-Star has averaged just 17.0 points on 37.3 percent from the floor over the last four games - significantly lower than his season marks of 21.4 and 50.3.

Aldridge has averaged 24.0 points on 65.6 percent shooting in his last four home meetings with Milwaukee.

The Bucks haven't prevailed in Portland since a 100-93 win March 20, 2006.

Gooden leads Bucks past Blazers, 116-87

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Mar 21 2012 1:27AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) While Golden State Warriors fans are clearly still irked that he was traded away, Monta Ellis is enjoying the Milwaukee Bucks.

Ellis had 14 points and nine assists to help Milwaukee beat Portland 116-87 on Tuesday night for the Bucks' sixth straight victory.

"Everybody's out there having fun, sharing the ball and everybody's on the same page trying to get some wins," Ellis said. "That's all that matters to us."

Drew Gooden had 19 points and Carlos Delfino added 16 for the Bucks, who shot a season-high 57.8 percent from the floor (48 for 83) and had 35 assists.

Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles praised Ellis' passing.

"He hasn't surprised us, we knew he could do it," Skiles said. "He has a very high basketball IQ. He goes to the open man. I think, to his credit, he's also trying to fit in and see how we play, and he's playing that way."

LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who suffered their worst margin of defeat at home since a 118-89 loss to Miami on Jan. 8, 2009.

About the only bright spot for Portland was Brandon Roy, who made his first appearance at the Rose Garden since his abrupt retirement at the start of training camp.

Roy, a three-time All-Star who left the game because of trouble with both of his knees, unexpectedly showed up sitting courtside and was wildly cheered when he was shown on the Rose Garden's video scoreboard. Team owner Paul Allen was among those who joined in the ovation.

The Blazers later said that Roy was at the game to surprise Blazers guard Jamal Crawford, a close friend, on his 32nd birthday. Roy did not speak with reporters.

The Blazers were coming off an eventful seven-game trip, during which they dismissed McMillan and traded forward Gerald Wallace and center Marcus Camby, both starters.

Portland finished 2-5 on the trip. Overall, they've lost nine of their last 12 games.

Interim Blazers coach Kaleb Canales, who started with the Blazers as a video intern in 2005, was greeted warmly by the home crowd when he when he was introduced to start the game, but his new team struggled defensively against the Bucks. Portland's backups were 2 for 29 against Milwaukee.

"Too many crooked numbers up here on the stat sheet," Canales said. "We didn't do a good job defensively. And you've got to give them credit. They're a hot team and they played like they've been playing and we didn't take them out of their game."

Two of the players acquired by the Blazers in a trade-deadline moves last week, guard Jonny Flynn and center Hasheem Thabeet, saw limited playing time late in the game. Both came to Portland in a deal that sent Camby to Houston.

The Bucks acquired Ellis, along with Ekpre Udoh and Kwame Brown from the Warriors in exchange for injured center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson last week just before the trade deadline.

Ellis was a fan favorite in the Bay Area, and the deal angered fans who booed Warriors owner Joe Lacob during a halftime ceremony to retire Hall of Famer Chris Mulllins' jersey Monday night.

The fallout from the trade had been made all the worse when Ellis and the Bucks visited Oracle Arena two days after the deal and beat the Warriors 120-98.

Ellis did not have any comment on what happened to Lacob.

"They've got to deal with what they've got to deal with over there," Ellis said. "I'm worried about the Milwaukee Bucks."

The Bucks jumped ahead in the second quarter, led by Delfino, who hit two consecutive 3-pointers to put Milwaukee up 42-29 midway through the quarter. His layup stretched the lead to 48-32, and the Bucks carried a 54-43 advantage into the break.

Delfino's jumper in the fourth quarter put Milwaukee up 90-64, and Portland fans began streaming for the exits.

"We got to play with more effort," Aldridge said. "We got back-doored like four or five times. We've got to fight through screens, our bigs have to be up on the screens. I feel like we didn't do that tonight. We just worried about trying to outscore them. Our defense wasn't there."

Notes: Blazers Guard Elliot Williams, who has missed six games with a shoulder injury, might need surgery. ... The Blazers held a moment of silence for Dick Harter, a veteran NBA assistant who died last week at the age of 81. Harter not only was an assistant coach for the Blazers under P.J. Carlesimo, he was the coach at Oregon when the Ducks ended UCLA's 98-game home winning streak in 1976. ... Milwaukee snapped a five-game losing streak at the Rose Garden.

Notebook: Bucks 116, Blazers 87

Posted Wednesday March 21, 2012 1:17AM

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Drew Gooden scored 19 points to lead six Milwaukee players in double figures as the Bucks (21-24) earned their sixth straight victory with their most one-sided road win of the season, 116-87 over the Trail Blazers.

Milwaukee led 54-43 at the half and continued to extend its advantage through a 62-point second half. The Bucks shot a season-high .578 from the field -- .634 in the second half -- and were 11-for-21 (.524) from 3-point range to spoil the home debut for Portland interim coach Kaleb Canales.

LaMarcus Aldridge (21 points, 12 rebounds), Wesley Matthews (21 points, a season-high nine boards) and Raymond Felton (18 points, nine assists) had productive offensive games for Portland (21-25), which shot .354 from the field and committed 20 turnovers.

QUOTABLE: "We passed the ball well, we shot the ball well and played pretty good defense. Our only issue was rebounding, but we were able to build a big enough lead, pull away and really take control."
-- Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles.

THE STAT: Milwaukee's bench outscored its Portland counterparts 45-9.

TURNING POINT: Portland was within 58-49 early in the second half when Milwaukee went on a 13-0 run to seize a 71-49 advantage. It was pretty much garbage time the rest of the way.

HOT: Gooden was on fire in the first half, making 8-for-10 shots from the field en route to 17 points by intermission.

NOT: Portland's reserves missed their first 23 shots from the field. They finished 2-for-29.

QUOTABLE II: "Everybody's out there having fun, sharing the ball. With the offense we have, if you pass the ball, you're going to get it back."
-- Milwaukee guard Monta Ellis after the Bucks passed out 35 assists.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Former Blazer great Brandon Roy, who retired after last season, made his first appearance back at the Rose Garden. Roy and wife Tiana were on hand to help Blazer guard and good friend Jamal Crawford celebrate his 32nd birthday.

GOOD MOVE: Skiles used 6-foot-6 small forward Carlos Delfino to defend Crawford, Portland's 6-foot-5 combo guard. Crawford made only 1-for-8 shots from the field.

BAD MOVE: Canales showed faith in his reserves, using his second five for extended minutes in both halves. They rewarded him with some of their most ugly ball of the season.

QUOTABLE III: "We have to do more, no question about it. When the starters are in and they have the lead, we have to either maintain it or make it grow. We have to get back on track."
-- Portland's Jamal Crawford, on Blazers reserves combining to make 2-for-29 shots from the field.

NOTABLE: Matthews, who had made his previous seven 3-point attempts entering the game, sank his first four Tuesday night to become the first NBA player to knock down 11 straight since Washnington's Mike Miller in February 2010.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, Thursday vs. Memphis, Friday at L.A. Lakers, Sunday vs. Golden State. For the Bucks, Thursday vs. Boston, Friday at Charlotte, Saturday vs. Indiana.

• Bucks: Brown, Leuer
• Trail Blazers: Okur, Williams, Williams

• Bucks: --
• Trail Blazers: Matthews

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #18 Matt Boland, #64 SirAllen Connor
• Attendance: 20387
• Duration: 2:01