Bucks-Trail Blazers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 18 2013 11:57AM

For a stretch from early December into January, the Portland Trail Blazers were one of the hottest teams in the NBA, especially at home.

Now, they'll just settle for a victory anywhere.

The Trail Blazers look to avoid a season-high fifth consecutive loss overall and third straight to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Portland (20-19) won 12 of 15 from Dec 10-Jan. 10, including the final four of that stretch, before dropping four in a row by a combined 19 points. After their nine-game home winning streak ended with an 87-83 loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday, the Trail Blazers fell 93-88 at home to lowly Cleveland on Wednesday.

Nicolas Batum had 23 points with 12 rebounds against the Cavaliers and was one of three Trail Blazers to post a double-double. Portland overcame a 19-point first-half deficit to take a brief lead but faltered down the stretch.

The Blazers lost 115-113 at Denver a night earlier, but they weren't about to use fatigue as an excuse.

"Sometimes we're tired and we still win, we can't use it when we lost the game," Batum told the team's official website. "We had a chance to win, we should win this game."

Portland averaged 99.7 points during the nine-game home win streak, but has shot 37.6 percent while failing to score 90 in back-to-back games at the Rose Garden for the first time this season. Rookie point guard Damian Lillard has averaged 10.7 points in the last three home contests - 7.4 below his season mark - while making 29.4 percent from the field in that span.

Lillard and the Trail Blazers could have a tough time getting back on track against Milwaukee (20-18), which won both meetings last season by a combined 51 points. The Bucks, who scored 116 points in each, snapped a five-game skid at Portland by shooting 57.8 percent in a 116-87 victory March 20.

Batum was held to a total of 21 points and seven rebounds in those games, but teammate LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 23.7 points in his last three against the Bucks.

Monta Ellis scored 24 while Larry Sanders added a career-high 19 points and 15 rebounds to help Milwaukee end a 24-game losing streak at Phoenix with a 98-94 win Thursday. The Bucks, 2-1 on their four-game trip, held the Suns to 38.2 percent shooting and outscored them 28-19 in the fourth quarter.

"The fourth quarter is really important," said Sanders, who has recorded 26 rebounds in the last two games and at least one blocked shot in 25 straight contests. "You have to play 'D' and at that point it's about possessions. Whichever team gets the most stops is going to win the game."

The solid defensive effort helped Milwaukee improve to 4-2 since assistant Jim Boylan replaced the fired Scott Skiles as coach last week.

"We're winning," guard Brandon Jennings said. "We're two games over .500 and if we keep winning we'll be just fine."

Jennings, Ilyasova help Bucks win in Portland

By JOEL FOWLKS
Posted Jan 20 2013 1:59AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The Jim Boylan era is starting well for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brandon Jennings had 30 points and eight assists, Ersan Ilyasova added a season-high 27 points and 14 rebounds, and the Bucks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-104 Saturday night to win for the fifth time in seven games since Boylan was promoted to replace Scott Skiles as coach.

"I'm really proud of the guys," Boylan said. "They've really responded well to the coaching change. We've got our eyes on the future and that's where we are going."

Damian Lillard had 26 points and 10 assists for Portland, which has lost a season-high five straight games. LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Wesley Matthews added 21 points.

Mike Dunleavy had 14 points and Monta Ellis added 13 for Milwaukee. Ilyasova was 10 of 14 from the field, making all three of his 3-point attempts and all four of his free throws.

The Bucks went 3-1 while on a weeklong road trip. Milwaukee was coming off a historic victory of sorts, beating the Suns 115-107 Thursday night for their first win in Phoenix since the 1986-87 season, ending a stretch of 24 consecutive losses. The Bucks kicked off the trip by beating Toronto. They now head home to host Philadelphia.

Boylan, a longtime NBA assistant who was once interim head coach in Chicago, took over when the team parted ways with fifth-year coach Skiles on Jan. 8 amid talk that Skiles was unhappy with the personnel makeup of his team and looking to leave.

"He's done a really good job," Ilyasova said of Boylan. "When you look at our record from the point when he became head coach, we play more together, we share the ball well, we have a couple of new plays we execute well, and we're finally finding our rhythm."

Portland was one of the hottest teams in the NBA after winning 12 of 15 games between Dec. 10 and Jan. 10. But the Blazers struggled with closing out games of late, losing each of their last five by six points or less. Part of the problem has been a tendency to fall behind and dig too big of a hole.

"We definitely have had a trend of that lately," Aldridge said. "We have to figure out how to shake it. We always start a little slow and we always find a way to come back, but if we have better starts, then we won't have to fight so hard to come back."

The Bucks led by 16 with 3:45 remaining in the game, but the Blazers managed a 12-0 run to cut it to 104-100, with Lillard and Matthews hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. But Jennings and Ellis made six of eight free throws in the final minute for Milwaukee, while Lillard missed two 3-point tries.

Jennings and Ilyasova each had 15 points in the first half and Milwaukee led by 17 going into the break after opening up a big first-quarter lead with a 17-0 run.

The Bucks extended their lead to 22 points midway through the third quarter.

Portland briefly cut the lead to eight when Lillard beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3, but the Bucks went on a 7-0 run to open up the fourth, with Beno Udrih feeding Ellis for a dunk and Dunleavy hitting a 3.

J.J. Hickson had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Portland. Nicolas Batum was just 2 of 9 for seven points after injuring his wrist in practice Friday. However, he had seven rebounds and five assists.

Notes: Milwaukee C Larry Sanders was ejected late in the third after picking up two technical fouls for arguing with official Danny Crawford. . Rookie C Meyers Leonard returned to practice Friday for Portland after missing 10 consecutive games with a sprained ankle sustained Dec. 29 against Philadelphia. He dressed but did not play. . The Blazers had 19 turnovers for the second straight game.

Notebook: Bucks 110, Trail Blazers 104

Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:01 AM - Updated Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:01 AM

THE FACTS: Brandon Jennings scored 30 points -- including four free throws in the final 33 seconds -- as Milwaukee held off a late Portland charge for a 110-104 victory Saturday night at the Rose Garden. Ersan Ilyasova collected 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks (20-18), who are 5-2 under interim head coach Jim Boylan.

Damian Lillard scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists for the Trail Blazers (20-20), who have lost five in a row for the first time this season. Wesley Matthews added 21 points and LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Portland.

Portland rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit to within four in the final minute before Jennings' gift shots put the game on ice.

QUOTABLE: "We squandered the lead a little bit, but it's an NBA game and the other team is going to make plays. We could have closed out better, but when we needed to we made the plays, got the rebounds and the stops ... down the stretch."

-- Boylan

THE STAT: Milwaukee scored 27 points off of 19 Portland turnovers. The Blazers had eight giveaways in the first nine minutes, in no small part to seven of the Bucks' dozen steals on the night.

TURNING POINT: A 10-0 run got Portland to within 104-100, and the Blazers were inbounding the ball in frontcourt with 33.6 seconds left. Aldridge cut to the basket and thought he was fouled by Ekpe Odoh as he cut from the basket. There was no call as Aldridge cut to the basket and the inbound pass went out of bounds, along with the Blazers' final hopes.

QUOTABLE II: "The game got away from us again in the first quarter. That was a bad stretch for us. But the second quarter wasn't much better."

-- Portland coach Terry Stotts, whose team fell behind 30-12 in the first quarter and trailed 62-45 at the half

HOT: Ilyasova sank 10 of 14 shots -- including 3 of 3 from 3-point range -- and scored a season-high 27 points despite playing only 26 minutes.

NOT: Hampered by a sore wrist, Portland's Nicolas Batum was just 1-for-8 in the first half. He finished 2-for-9 and scored seven points, his low since scoring five on Dec. 8 against Sacramento.

BAD MOVE: With 3:08 left in the third quarter and Milwaukee leading 80-65, Milwaukee center Larry Sanders got two technical fouls and was ejected by referee Danny Crawford. Without Sanders, the Bucks' advantage inside was sorely compromised.

BAD MOVE II: At that point, Boylan removed Ilyasova -- who had 27 points and 14 rebounds to that point -- from the game and didn't insert him again except for 14 seconds in the final minute of play. "For defensive purposes, mainly, especially with Sanders out," Boylan explained afterward, adding with a smile, "I was the only one who could stop (Ilyasova) tonight."

QUOTABLE III: "He showed tonight where he belongs -- that was an All-Star performance right there."

-- Boylan on Jennings

NOTABLE: Portland has played nine straight games decided by six points or fewer, a franchise record. The Blazers won the first four and have lost the last five.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday @ Cleveland, Saturday vs. Golden State. For the Trail Blazers, Monday vs. Washington, Wednesday vs. Indiana, Saturday vs. L.A. Clippers.

• Bucks: Lamb, Przybilla
• Trail Blazers: Pavlovic, Williams

• Bucks: Sanders, Sanders
• Trail Blazers: Matthews

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #27 Dick Bavetta, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 20487
• Duration: 2:19