Warriors-Bucks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 26 2013 2:05AM

Two guards some thought should have been All-Stars have the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks in position for playoff runs as the second half of the season unfolds.

But after having respective three-game winning streaks snapped on Friday, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings will both look to get their teams back on track Saturday night as the Bucks host the Warriors.

Golden State (26-16) was coming off back-to-back wins over Oklahoma City and the Clippers - teams with two of the league's three best records - before falling 103-87 at Chicago on Friday. The Warriors shot only 34.6 percent from the floor after shooting 48.3 percent during the three-game streak. Their 87 points also tied the team's fourth-lowest output of the season.

"From the start, they executed their offense at a high level and we didn't match their intensity," said Curry, who scored 21 in the defeat.

Golden State's David Lee, who finished with 23 points, was selected as an All-Star, but many were surprised that Curry wouldn't be joining him. Curry ranks eighth in the league averaging 20.9 points per game, but he said he'll be using his exclusion from the game as motivation.

Along with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, the fourth-year guard is one of only three players averaging at least 20 points, six assists and four rebounds.

"It keeps me focused and grinding," Curry said. "I've had a lot of doubters since coming out of high school up until this level. Just another reason to stay focused and do what I'm doing. Hopefully I'll have another opportunity down the road."

The Warriors will want to re-establish their identity as one of the league's best teams on the boards after being outrebounded 56-37 by Chicago. Golden State ranks fourth in the NBA with 44.5 rpg.

The Bulls also claimed a 28-6 edge in second-chance points.

"We got outworked," coach Mark Jackson said. "We didn't have the right mindset to start the game and it just snowballed from there. That wasn't Warriors basketball."

Milwaukee (22-19) also had won three in a row before a 113-108 loss at Cleveland on Friday. The Bucks owned a 20-point advantage midway through the third but allowed Kyrie Irving to score 24 of his 35 in the second half - trumping Ersan Ilyasova's season-high 30 points, as well as Milwaukee's season-high 14 3-pointers.

"We started aggressively, but we kind of gave up the game," said Ilyasova, who is averaging 10.4 ppg on the season but has 84 points over his last three games. "Their second unit hustled and we gave up a lot of easy buckets."

Some felt Jennings deserved a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team since the speedy guard is averaging 18.6 points, to go along with career highs in assists (6.0) and steals (2.0). But he struggled on Friday with 14 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

The fourth quarter was particularly rough for Jennings as he went 1 of 8 for two points. He was 6 of 10 with 22 points in the final period over his previous two contests.

Milwaukee has a difficult time winning when Jennings' shot is off, as he's shooting 45.7 percent in victories but just 34.8 percent in losses.

The Bucks have won five of the last six meetings, including a 120-98 victory at Golden State on March 16 as Curry sat out with an ankle injury. Milwaukee's Mike Dunleavy scored a game-high 24 off the bench on 7-of-8 shooting while Lee posted a team-high 22.

Bucks upend Warriors 109-102

Posted Jan 27 2013 12:30AM

MILWAUKEE (AP) After struggling in the first half, Brandon Jennings dominated the third quarter.

The guard scored 18 of his 20 points in the period, sparking the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-102 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

"I just started being more aggressive," said Jennings, whose third-quarter run included making five 3-pointers in seven attempts. "I was just trying to figure out a way to pick us up."

Jennings hit three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the quarter that quickly turned a 55-51 Warriors' halftime lead into a 74-65 advantage for the Bucks. Milwaukee ended up scoring 35 points in the game-changing quarter.

"Once I get it going, I get it going. I think it fed off to my teammates," Jennings said. "They got it going. Larry (Sanders) started getting some blocks and Sam Dalembert even came in and gave us some good minutes."

Sanders had 16 points and 11 rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bucks. Monta Ellis scored 20 points against his former team, while Ersan Ilyasova added 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan said he was convinced that Jennings, who also was held scoreless in the first half before scoring 14 second-half points in a 113-108 loss at Cleveland on Friday night, eventually would provide some offensive spark for the Bucks.

"He's a competitor," Boylan said. "He was trying to move the ball a little bit in the first half, but we needed him to score. He came out in the second half and did what we needed him to do for our team, and that's what he's done for us all year. That's what we expect from him."

Jennings wasn't the only Bucks player to find success from 3-point range. Milwaukee finished 13 for 30 from beyond the arc, after hitting a season-high 14 3-pointers in a loss to Cleveland on Friday night.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 26 points. Klay Thompson added 19. David Lee added 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Golden State has lost four consecutive games in Milwaukee and hasn't won a game at the Bradley Center since 2008.

"Regardless of who you are playing, if you don't put forth that effort for 48 minutes, you aren't going to beat anybody," said Golden State guard Jarrett Jack, who had 13 points, including three 3-pointers in the third quarter.

"I just try to have concerted effort, try to come in and give my team energy. We had kind of a down period in the third quarter, coming out of halftime. They made tough shots to go along with it."

Golden State coach Mark Jackson wasn't pleased with his team's rebounding effort.

"We've got to get back to who we are," Jackson said. "We're not rebounding at the same level and it's hurting us. It's costing us ballgames. When you allow a team to dominate you on the boards and get second-chance points it sucks the life out of your defense."

The Bucks' game plan called for aggressive play, Sanders said.

"Second effort, third effort, that was the emphasis, staying around that basket and playing physical. It worked in our favor tonight," Sanders said.

The Bucks held an eight-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but a 3-pointer by Curry cut it to 98-93.

After Ellis hit a jumper for the Bucks, a 3-pointer by Jack cut the Bucks' lead to 100-98 with 53 seconds remaining.

Ellis' 3-pointer with 32 seconds left gave the Bucks a five-point margin.

Jennings added two free throws to build the lead to 105-98. A Lee tip-in brought Golden State to within five points with less than 15 seconds left.

Ellis made two free throws for a 107-100 Bucks lead. He hit two more from the free throw line following a Lee basket to account for the final margin.

A 3-pointer from the top of the key by Golden State's Richard Jefferson as time expired gave the Warriors a 26-23 lead after the first quarter. Curry had 12 points in the period.

Golden State built a 20-13 lead, but the Bucks rallied to tie the game at 23 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Beno Udrih.

The Warriors led 55-51 at halftime, with Curry leading the way with 20 points, including three 3-pointers. Sanders led the Bucks with 12 first-half points. Mike Dunleavy added nine points on three 3-pointers to open the second quarter.

Milwaukee opened the third quarter on a 23-10 run. Jennings' fifth 3-pointer of the period gave the Bucks a 74-65 lead. Milwaukee held an 86-74 advantage at the end of the quarter.

Notes: There was no sign at the arena of the bat that repeatedly disrupted the Marquette-Providence men's basketball game earlier in the day. ... Warriors center Andrew Bogut, who was inactive for the game, made his first appearance at the Bradley Center since being traded, along with Stephen Jackson to Golden State last March. Bogut was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft. ... Bucks forward Larry Sanders extended his streak with at least one blocked shot to 29 consecutive games, tying San Antonio's Tim Duncan. ...Golden State forward David Lee had his 27th double-double of the season, matching Memphis' Zach Randolph for the league lead. ... Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Ryan Braun attended the game.

Notebook: Bucks 109, Warriors 102

Rick Braun, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:17 AM - Updated Sun Jan 27, 2013 1:17 AM

THE FACTS: Monta Ellis scored seven of his 20 points in the final 32.7 seconds, and Brandon Jennings scored 18 of his 20 in a big third quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Golden State Warriors 109-102 Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Ellis drilled a huge 3-pointer with 32.7 seconds left to give the Bucks a 103-98 lead, then added four free throws as Milwaukee (23-19) improved to four games over .500 for the fourth time this season.

Ersan Ilyasova added 18 points and 12 rebounds and Larry Sanders had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Bucks improved to 7-3 under new coach Jim Boylan.

Stephen Curry had 26 points and Klay Thompson added 19 for the Warriors (26-17), who lost for the second time in two nights to open up a four-game road trip.

QUOTABLE: "What can you say? We struggled all night making shots, and that was just huge. He was going to his left, hand in the face ... it's a great shot. It won the game for us."

-- Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy on Ellis' 3-pointer

THE STAT: Most categories were pretty even, with the exception of the Bucks' 22 offensive rebounds to Golden State's 12. That led to a 27-13 edge for the Bucks in second-chance points.

TURNING POINT: Jarrett Jack's third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter pulled the Warriors within 100-98 with 52.9 seconds left, and the Bucks were in jeopardy of blowing a lead for the second straight night. After a timeout, the Bucks ran the clock down before Ellis was left with the ball as the shot clock ran down. He created just enough space to launch a 3-pointer from the left wing and the ball hit the promised land with 32.7 seconds left, his first 3-pointer of the night in five attempts. The Warriors never got closer than five the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "Brandon likes to play, so I knew that he was going to come out and do something. Obviously, he's 0-for-1 in the first half, but he got himself going. He's a competitor. He was trying to move the ball a little bit in the first half, but we need him to score so he came out in the second half and did what we needed him to do for our team."

-- Bucks coach Jim Boylan on Jennings' 18-point third quarter after a scoreless first half

HOT: On a night where just about every other key player struggled from the field for both teams, Sanders made 7 of 9 shots, including a big jumper early in the fourth quarter after the Bucks started the period 0-for-6.

NOT: Although they combined for 50 points, the Bucks' three-guard combination of Jennings, Ellis and Beno Udrih shot just 36.2 percent (17-for-47) from the field.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Ilyasova struggled to a 3-for-12 first half after scoring 27, 27 and 30 in his previous three games. But he was 4-for-5 in the second half and finished with a solid 18 points and 12 rebounds. In his last four games he's averaging 25.5 points and 12.3 rebounds.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun, in town for his team's winter fan festival, was in the seats, as were teammates John Axford, Rickie Weeks and Jonathon Lucroy.

GOOD MOVE: The Warriors scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to pull within 86-82 when Boylan decided he could wait no longer. He sent Sanders and Ilyasova back in with 9:23 left, and a Sanders jumper ended an 0-for-6 shooting skid. Ilyasova then drilled a 3-pointer and a jumper to push the Bucks' lead to 94-82.

NOTABLE: Boylan received his second technical foul since taking over for Scott Skiles. He was hit up by referee Tony Brothers after Sanders did not get a call going to the basket. Sanders, who was ejected a week ago, went to Boylan first, and Boylan then went to Brothers with his complaint and was called for the technical during a timeout. Sanders has been ejected twice this season and Boylan noted he had to help the third-year center out in controlling his emotions. "I just told him a good place to get a burger here in Milwaukee, and he disagreed," Boylan said of his conversation with Brothers. "I said, 'No, it's the best,' and he said, 'No, it's not.' I said, 'Yes it is,' and he said, 'OK, that's a technical on you.' We'll argue about it again later. I'll see him down the road." ... Former Buck Andrew Bogut made his first appearance at the Bradley Center since being traded to the Warriors last February. Bogut is not playing but is traveling with the Warriors as he works to come back from ankle surgery. He's only played four games this season. ... With his three blocks, Sanders now has at least one block in 29 straight games, tied for the longest active streak in the league with San Antonio's Tim Duncan. ... David Lee's 12 points and 15 rebounds gave him his 27th double-double this season, tied for most in the league with Memphis' Zach Randolph. Milwaukee native Carl Landry also had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Monday @ Toronto, Tuesday @ Cleveland, Thursday vs. Dallas. For the Bucks, Tuesday @ Detroit, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday @ New York.

• Warriors: Bogut, Rush
• Bucks: Lamb, Przybilla

• Warriors: --
• Bucks: Boylan

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 11

• Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #6 Tony Brown, #7 Kevin Fehr
• Attendance: 16937
• Duration: 2:03