Hornets-Bucks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Nov 17 2012 12:38AM

While Chicago and Indiana try to overcome injuries to their top players, the Milwaukee Bucks have gotten out to the early lead in the Central Division.

They'll look to get off to their best eight-game start in 11 years by earning just their second victory in the last 13 meetings with the visiting New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.

Milwaukee (5-2) had one of its better performances of the young season Wednesday, leading by as many as 32 points in a 99-85 victory over Indiana. The Bucks find themselves ahead of the division's projected top two as Chicago plays without former MVP Derrick Rose and Indiana continues on without star forward Danny Granger.

"We played some of our best defense in the first half and some of our best offense as well," coach Scott Skiles said. "We moved the ball well. Overall, it was a very well-played game."

Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis scored 16 points each while Samuel Dalembert added 14 for the Bucks, who had a season-low six turnovers after committing a season-high 23 in their previous game.

"We realize that as a team we just needed to come in and be the aggressor from the beginning," Dalembert said.

Jennings had another solid effort after scoring a season-best 33 points and dishing out eight assists in Monday's win over Philadelphia that followed a 1-for-11 shooting performance in a loss to Boston last Saturday.

"We just got going and we didn't look back," Jennings said.

Milwaukee hasn't won six of its first eight games since taking seven of eight on its way to a 9-1 start to the 2001-02 campaign, but its recent history against New Orleans suggests it will have a tough time reaching that mark this season.

The Bucks have dropped 11 of the last 12 meetings and Jennings has shot 34.7 percent in five career games against the Hornets.

New Orleans, though, trailed by as many as 34 points in a 110-95 loss to Oklahoma City on Friday. Ryan Anderson scored a team-high 15 points off the bench and rookie Anthony Davis finished with eight points and a season high-tying 11 rebounds while shooting a dismal 4 of 14 for the Hornets (3-4), who have lost three of four.

New Orleans and Oklahoma City were involved in a shouting match at the end of the first half, though coach Monty Williams downplayed it.

"We're men, but you also have to be man enough to admit that we do goofy things when we compete," Williams said. "So we were just out there kind of yelling back and forth. Basically they were just kicking our butts."

Despite not having shooting guard Eric Gordon through most likely the end of December, the Hornets are off to a much better start than last season, when they began 4-23 even after winning their first two games.

General manager Dell Demps was awarded a multiyear contract extension Friday after making key offseason moves - including drafting Davis and Austin Rivers - to improve the club.

Demps traded Hakim Warrick to Charlotte for Matt Carroll on Tuesday, though Carroll has not reported to the team and may be bought out.

"We'll have a resolution on that in the coming days," Demps said.

Jennings scored 18 points but shot only 7 of 21 as New Orleans won 92-89 at Milwaukee in the most recent meeting Feb. 15.

Monta Ellis helps Bucks hold off Hornets, 117-113

Posted Nov 18 2012 12:37AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) Monta Ellis scored six of his 22 points in the final 2 minutes to help the Milwaukee Bucks hold off the New Orleans Hornets 117-113 on Saturday night.

Brandon Jennings also had 22 points, and Mike Dunleavy added 17 for Milwaukee, 6-2 in its best start since opening 9-1 in 2001-02.

Top overall draft pick Anthony Davis had a season-high 28 points and tied his season high with 11 rebounds for New Orleans. Ryan Anderson added 20 points for the Hornets.

Davis had consecutive three-point plays to pull the Hornets to 110-108 with 2:02 to play, but Ellis hit a 20-footer falling away from the basket for Milwaukee.

Anderson tipped in a miss for New Orleans, and Ellis hit another jumper for the Bucks. After Anderson missed a shot from in close, Milwaukee's Larry Sanders missed a layup, then made up for it when he blocked Anderson's driving shot. The Bucks controlled the ball, forcing Roger Mason to foul Jennings, who made one of two free throws for a 115-110 lead with 12.3 seconds to go.

After a timeout, Anderson hit a tough 3 with 4.8 seconds left. Greivis Vasquez immediately fouled Ellis and he made both free throws to cap the scoring. The last chance for the Hornets came when Davis' inbound pass went across the court and off Mason's hands as time expired.

Anderson's 3 gave the Hornets a 94-91 lead to start the fourth, but the Bucks answered with an 11-2 run sparked by two three-pointers from Beno Udrih and one from Jennings for a 102-96 lead with 8:12 to play.

The Bucks were coming off a 99-85 victory over Indiana on Wednesday night, while the Hornets were beaten 110-95 by Oklahoma City on Friday night. The Hornets have lost four of five.

Ellis and Jennings each had nine assists in Milwaukee's rare win against the Hornets. Milwaukee had dropped 11 of the last 12 meetings dating to Jan. 30, 2006. Their last victory was Feb. 24, 2010, 115-95.

NOTES: Milwaukee scored 60 points or more in the first half for the third consecutive game. ... The Hornets shot 64.7 percent (11 of 17) in the first quarter. ... The Hornets shot 60 percent through three quarters, then shot 38 percent in the fourth.

Notebook: Bucks 117, Hornets 113

Rick Braun, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Nov 18, 2012 12:21 AM - Updated Sun Nov 18, 2012 2:49 AM

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings each scored 22 points and dished out nine assists as the Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 117-113 victory over the New Orleans Hornets Saturday night in Milwaukee. Larry Sanders recorded all three of his blocked shots for the Bucks in the fourth quarter, including a stop of a Ryan Anderson drive with 18.9 seconds left to help seal it.

Ellis came up with two huge baskets for the Bucks (6-2) in the final 1:51 after consecutive 3-point plays by super-rookie Anthony Davis had pulled the Hornets (3-5) within 110-108.

Davis posted 28 points and 11 rebounds, setting a new career high in points and matching his top performance in rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "We felt like as much as they were penetrating and getting to the hole, we spent a large portion of the game with no blocks. We knew at some point we were going to have to step up and make some sort of defensive play to win the game, and obviously that was a big one."

-- Bucks coach Scott Skiles on Sanders' block of Anderson with 18.9 seconds left.

THE STAT: Sanders struggled through the first three quarters, but when he recorded all three of his blocked shots in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were able to go just 9-for-24 (37.5 percent) in the final 12 minutes after shooting 60.4 percent (32-for-53) in the first three quarters.

TURNING POINT: The game was still in doubt as the Hornets went on offense, trailing 114-110, in the final half-minute. Anderson pump-faked at the 3-point line on the right wing and bolted for what looked like a clear path to the basket. Sanders came over from the weak side and snuffed out Anderson's attempt well above the rim, and the Bucks were able to hang on from there.

QUOTABLE II: "It was almost like an old Western Conference game -- high-scoring. It was 91-91 at the end of the third, and there just wasn't a whole lot of defense being played."

-- Bucks sixth-man Mike Dunleavy, who made four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.

HOT: Davis finished 10-for-14 from the floor after entering the game shooting just 43.9 percent. He improved to 49.3 percent (35-for-71) for the season.

NOT: New Orleans point guard Greivis Vasquez went just 5-for-16 in getting his 13 points, but did contribute 11 assists.

QUOTABLE III: "I was just trying to be there for my teammates. I was trying to be on the help side. On the weak side, we weren't in the game that much and we gave up second-chance points off rebounds, so I wanted to make sure I was there for the rebound or to help my teammate if he drove to the rim."

-- Sanders on his big block.

GOOD MOVE: Skiles played Sanders all 12 minutes, and Ekpe Udoh all but 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. With those two contesting shots, the Hornets finally cooled off.

ROOKIE WATCH: Davis is sure to own the spotlight most nights, but teammate Austin Rivers managed six points -- all in six free throw attempts -- in 22:20 of playing time.

NOTABLE: Jennings recorded a four-point play on a 3-pointer and a foul on Vasquez with 6:20 in the first quarter. Vasquez returned the favor, making a 3-pointer and a free throw on a foul on Jennings with 3:29 left in the third. ... The Bucks' 6-2 record is their best eight-game start since the 2001-02 team started out 7-1. ... Jennings also had four steals, giving him multiple steals in seven of the Bucks' eight games. ... The biggest lead of the night was a 10-point edge for the Bucks. New Orleans' biggest lead was eight. ... The Bucks made 13 3-pointers, their first time in double digits this season. They were 11-1 last season when making 10 or more 3-pointers.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets: Tuesday vs. New York, Wednesday @ Indiana, Friday @ Phoenix. For the Bucks: Monday @ Charlotte, Wednesday @ Miami, Saturday vs. Chicago.

• Hornets: Gordon
• Bucks: Gooden, Mbah a Moute

• Hornets: --
• Bucks: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 12

• Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #45 Brian Forte, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 14731
• Duration: 2:11