Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 37 – NBA Blog

Brandon Jennings sticks up for his Bucks

Brandon Jennings smiled when asked about his Thursday night prediction of the Bucks over the Miami Heat in six.

Hey, somebody had to stick up for the Bucks, right?

“We were joking around,” Jennings said after the Bucks practice session Friday at the Cousins Center. “I was joking around with Aaron Rodgers before I even said it.

“Of course it’s always going to be taken to the next level. But at the end of the day, we’re getting bashed on ESPN. We’re getting bashed on TNT, anyway. Now that I say we’ll win in six, now it’s a problem.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Blog)

Milwaukee Bucks qualify for NBA playoffs

The Milwaukee Bucks had been sputtering lately, but that was all forgotten after they clinched a playoff berth by crushing Toronto, 100-83, Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Milwaukee (37-39) won for just the third time in its last 10 games to move within two games of idle Boston, which holds the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

“You work hard all season,” Bucks coach Jim Boylan said. “It’s a long season. We’ve had ups and downs. It’s 82 games. We’ve still got a few games left. We kind of hit a rough patch here toward the end, but we’ve had some good patches, too, at certain times during the season, which enabled us to be in this position.

“It’s pretty nice to clinch when you have six games left so you can start getting yourself ready for whoever it is you’re going to play against. The guys have worked very hard, and it’s very satisfying for us.”

— Reported by Dave Boehler, special to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bucks beat Raptors, clinch spot in NBA playoffs

Monta Ellis had 22 points and nine assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks secured their first playoff berth in three seasons with a 100-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

Brandon Jennings had 16 points and seven assists, while Larry Sanders added 12 points, nine rebounds and six blocks for Milwaukee, which needed a win and a Miami victory over Philadelphia on Saturday to clinch at least the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat beat the 76ers, 106-87.

The win was Milwaukee’s 10th straight over Toronto, its longest active winning streak over any opponent. And it pulled the Bucks within two games of the idle Boston Celtics for the No. 7 seed.

Alan Anderson led Toronto with 14 points off the bench, and Quincy Acy had 13. Rudy Gay, Toronto’s leading scorer with 18.2 points per game, made 1-of-10 shots and matched his season low with four points.

Toronto shot just 36 percent (30 of 83) and had 18 turnovers.

The game wasn’t close after the first quarter, as the Bucks used a 15-4 run late in the period to go up 24. They led 61-42 at halftime behind 14 points and seven assists from Ellis.

— Reported by Erik Brooks of the Associated Press

Larry Sanders scores 24, Bucks beat Bobcats 131-102

Larry Sanders’ latest career night led to a big scoring night for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sanders had a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee cruised to a 131-102 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night for the Bucks’ highest total in more than four years.

”It’s working out pretty well,” said Sanders, who had set his previous career scoring high of 21 on Thursday in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. ”I am just trying to stay active. My teammates are doing a great job of finding me down there, trusting me to finish plays, and I’m shooting the ball when I’m open.”

Monta Ellis had 19 points, a career-high 14 assists and six steals to help Milwaukee pull 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Celtics lost to Minnesota on Monday.

Ersan Ilyasova added 22 points for the Bucks, and J.J. Redick scored 20, 16 in the second half. Brandon Jennings had 19, as Milwaukee, which had lost five of six, remained solidly in the eighth position in the East, with a six-game lead over idle Philadelphia.

Kemba Walker scored 27 points to lead the Bobcats, and Gerald Henderson had 17.

Charlotte came in allowing 47.3 percent shooting and 103.1 points per game – second-worst in the league in both categories – and it showed.

— Reported by Erik Brooks of the Associated Press

Larry Sanders fined $50,000 by NBA

Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks has been fined $50,000 for using a derogatory and offensive term and publicly criticizing the officials, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

With 2:44 in the fourth quarter of the Bucks 107-94 home loss to the Miami Heat on Friday Sanders directed a derogatory and offensive term to the officials and was subsequently ejected. Following the game he publicly criticized the officials.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Sanders argued after being called for fouling Heat star LeBron James on a drive to the basket. Sanders was ejected from back-to-back games last week against Washington and Miami. He has been ejected four times this season. There were no incidents with Sanders as the Bucks beat the Orlando Magic, 115-109, on Sunday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.”

Heat win 21st straight game, beat Bucks 107-94

LeBron James and Chris Bosh each scored 28 points, and the Miami Heat made it 21 straight wins, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 107-94 on Friday night.

Only three other teams have won 20 in a row in one season, and the Heat now trail just the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (33) and the 2007-08 Houston Rockets (22) after moving ahead of the 1970-71 Bucks.

They withstood an early scare when Dwyane Wade walked to the locker room with a neck strain after crashing to the court. Miami led by as much as 17 in the third quarter, then withstood a push by the Bucks to remain unbeaten since a loss at Indiana on Feb. 1.

Miami next plays Sunday at Toronto, where the winning streak began on Feb. 3.

Bosh hit from all angles and was 12 of 16 in the game, nailing two 3-pointers. He even converted a four-point play that made it 67-53 about five minutes into the third quarter.

James was his usual dominant self, and Wade finished with 20 points as the Heat avenged a loss at Milwaukee in late December.

Ersan Ilyasova led Milwaukee with 26 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. Brandon Jennings scored 21 but was 6 of 15 from the field, and the Bucks shot just over 37 percent. Monta Ellis struggled, finishing with seven points after scoring 26 in the previous game at Washington, and the Bucks dropped their third straight.

— Reported by Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press

Mavs beat Bucks 115-108 for 4th straight win

Vince Carter may not be able to throw down big dunks like he used to, though he can still knock down big shots.

Carter hit three key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 23 points off the bench as the Dallas Mavericks won their fourth straight with a 115-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

”I felt in the groove,” Carter said. ”The basket just seemed extremely big, and I felt comfortable with my shot. I was just in the flow of the game. A couple of shots, once I let them go, I happened to look down and see the 3-point line was up there. Oops. I know if I don’t make them, Coach is going to yell. But I was just prepared. I had my feet set, in rhythm, just in attack mode.” …

The Mavericks, who are three games out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, know now is the time to get going if they are to make the postseason for the 13th consecutive time…

Dirk Nowitzki added 19 points, 17 in the first half, and 11 rebounds, while O.J. Mayo had 14 points. Mavericks rookie and former Marquette star Jae Crowder, last year’s Big East player of the year, was one off his career high with 14 points.

Monta Ellis scored 32 points for the Bucks, giving him 20 or more in all six of Milwaukee’s games this month. Ellis has been putting up big numbers since the All-Star break, averaging 23.7 points.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Brandon Jennings would be fine with facing Heat in first round of playoffs

Bucks guard Brandon Jennings made a rather startling observation after practice Friday.

While he wants the Bucks to move up in the playoff seedings if possible, he said it’s OK with him to face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the first round. That’s the Heat, as in the streaking team that has won 16 straight games entering a home game against Philadelphia on Friday.

“The two games that we played Miami so far, we matched up well against them,” Jennings said. “If you ask me, that’s who I would want to play first round, Miami.

“Just the fact over the years, a lot of the games have gone down to the wire with us and Miami. Right now we haven’t really played well against the Knicks. I just feel better if we play Miami first round, just the fact we have good games against them.

“I don’t know if it’s because they’re the champs or what, but we always play harder against Miami.”

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

J.J. Redick fitting in well for Bucks

J.J. Redick has played five games with the Bucks and the team has won four, after losing by one point in his debut against Atlanta.

Not a bad start.

And Redick has made a big difference coming off the bench, averaging 15.4 points and providing another backcourt weapon to go along with Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. Redick scored eight of the Bucks’ 10 points in overtime in their 109-108 victory over Utah on Monday night.

But Redick knows plenty of challenges await his new team, beginning Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Bucks had a team meeting at the hotel Wednesday morning as they prepared for the opener of their three-game California trip.

— Reported by Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ellis, Bucks beat Jazz 109-108 in overtime

After scoring just nine points in regulation, J.J. Redick nearly matched that total in overtime Monday night.

Redick, acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks at last month’s trade deadline, scored his new team’s first eight points in the extra period. He finished with 17 as the Bucks beat the Utah Jazz 109-108.

”I was just taking what was there. I didn’t feel like I was struggling at all (in regulation),” Redick said. ”I got good looks and the ball was in and out a lot of times. I never feel like I’m struggling. I always feel like the next shot is going in.”

Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan said he has extreme confidence in Redick’s ability to make shots.

”The guy is a great shooter. I know he missed a couple but the thing with J.J., when he shoots the ball, you expect it to go in,” Boylan said. ”Whenever I see him raising up for a shot, I feel pretty good.”

Monta Ellis scored 34 points to lead Milwaukee, which won its fourth consecutive game after dropping three in a row following the All-Star break…

Brandon Jennings had 20 points and 17 assists for Milwaukee, while Larry Sanders chipped in with eight points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots…

Derrick Favors tied a career high with 23 points and added 15 rebounds for Utah, which lost for the fourth time in five games. Paul Millsap had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Alec Burks added 19 points and Enes Kanter had 18 points.

— Reported by Rich Rovito of the Associated Press