Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 39 – NBA Blog

Milwaukee Bucks coaching change does wonders for Ersan Ilyasova

[Coach Jim] Boylan’s vote of confidence in Ilyasova is paying huge dividends. Since Boylan assumed the coaching reins, Ilyasova has shot 47 percent from the field and a white-hot 51 percent from 3-point range. In that same 10-game span under Boylan, Ilyasova is averaging 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 28.3 minutes.

While those numbers are nice, his numbers in the last four games are off the charts: 25.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 55 percent shooting and 63 percent 3-point shooting.

Oh, and one other not-so-insignificant number: 34. That’s his minutes average for the last four games.

Ilyasova’s sterling play has been one of the key reasons why the Bucks are surging, why they are 23-19 and why they have won seven of 10 games with Boylan at the controls.

— Reported by Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times

Kyrie Irving scores 35, Cavs beat Bucks

Kyrie Irving knows how to celebrate good news.

A little over 24 hours after being selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team in Houston, the Cavaliers’ dynamic point guard put on a show.

Irving scored 35 points and Cleveland rallied from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 113-108 on Friday night.

The reigning rookie of the year scored 24 points in the second half, including 16 in the third when the Cavaliers got back in the game. Irving added eight points in the final 4:01 as Cleveland posted back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.

Coming off a 40-point performance against Boston on Tuesday, Irving hit 12 of 17 from the field and made all nine of his free throws. He missed one shot in nine attempts in the second half…

Cleveland, which trailed 79-59 midway through the third quarter, took a 96-95 lead on a 3-pointer by newly acquired Wayne Ellington with 6:31 to play. The basket was his first since joining the Cavaliers from Memphis on Tuesday, and it gave Cleveland the lead for good.

Ersan Ilyasova scored a season-high 30 points and Monta Ellis added 21, but the Bucks’ collapse ended their three-game winning streak. Even hitting a season-high 14 3-pointers in 28 attempts couldn’t save Milwaukee…

Tristan Thompson scored 18 points and Dion Waiters added 16 for the Cavaliers. Livingston scored 12 points. Speights had 10 points and had six rebounds in 18 minutes.

Jennings, who was left off the Eastern Conference All-Star team by coaches picking the reserves, scored 14 points for the Bucks, but was 5 of 19 from the field and was scoreless in the first half. He finished with 12 assists. Sanders had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Milwaukee Bucks extend contract of General Manager John Hammond

The Milwaukee Bucks have extended the contract of General Manager John Hammond, the team announced today. The agreement will keep Hammond in his position with the Bucks through the 2015-16 season.

“John does a terrific job for our basketball team,” said Herb Kohl, team president. “He and his staff have assembled a roster of very talented players who are also very good people, which our fans appreciate and enjoy watching. John is highly respected by the players and among his peers and I’m happy he will continue to lead our basketball operations department.”

Hammond was hired by the Bucks on April 11, 2008, and was awarded the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award, voted on by his peers in the NBA, following the team’s 46-36 season. He has more than 30 years of coaching and administrative experience, including seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons that included an NBA Championship (2004), another NBA Finals appearance and three other Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

Ray Allen unsure when he will retire

The old saying, “Once a shooter, always a shooter” definitely applies to Ray Allen.

Even at the tender age of 37, Allen remains unequivocally one of the elite shooter in the game. Just check his 3-point shooting percentage this season: It’s .432 — the seventh-best in the league.

Yet, while it appears Allen still has more than fumes in his tank, the Miami Heat reserve guard acknowledges he may be closer to his career finish line than people think.

“I don’t know when I’ll retire,” said Allen, who began his pro career in Milwaukee in 1996 and spent six-plus productive seasons with the Bucks before being dealt to Seattle. “I’d like to get through the year first. I feel great; my body feels good. I just got to get through.

“I’m at a point where I’ve been pretty successful and I’ve gotten to the point where I really understand the game and how to play it.

“But I’m not going to be that guy who just hangs on. At some point, I can let it go.”

— Reported by Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times

Bucks recall Doron Lamb from D-League

The Milwaukee Bucks have recalled rookie guard Doron Lamb from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Indiana) of the NBA Development League (D-League), General Manager John Hammond announced today. Lamb appeared in two games for the Mad Ants during his assignment, averaging 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 24.5 minutes per game.

Drafted by the Bucks with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft, Lamb has appeared in 23 contests for Milwaukee this season and has averaged 3.4 points in 12.2 minutes per game. He has tallied a career-high eight points in four different games, most recently against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 19.

In two seasons at Kentucky, Lamb, 21, finished his career with 1,018 points while helping the Wildcats to a National Championship in 2012. Averaging 13.1 points per game, Lamb also hit 47.5 percent of his shots from behind the arc to become the top three-point shooter in Kentucky school history.

Bucks win 98-94 to end long drought in Phoenix

Mike Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer with 57.4 seconds left to cap a 10-0 run and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away to beat the Suns 98-94 on Thursday night, snapping a 24-game losing streak in Phoenix.

Monta Ellis scored 24 points and Larry Sanders added 19, while Dunleavy and Brandon Jennings had 16 apiece for the Bucks, who had not won in the Valley since Feb. 21, 1987, at the old Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Milwaukee has won four of six since interim coach Jim Boylan replaced Scott Skiles on Jan. 8.

Shannon Brown scored 20 points off the bench and Luis Scola added 16 for the Suns, who have lost four straight at home for the first time since 2004 and have dropped 13 of 15 overall…

One game after logging more than 40 minutes, Suns big man Marcin Gortat was limited by early foul trouble to seven points and five rebounds over 29 minutes. . Dunleavy added three of the Bucks’ 11 blocked shots. . Jennings has scored 53 points in his past two games against Phoenix after scoring 30 points in his first four appearances against the Suns.

— Reported by Jonathan Dalton of the Associated Press

Dwight Howard shines in Lakers win over Bucks

Kobe Bryant played relentless defense, spurring his fellow Los Angeles Lakers to do the same. Dwight Howard dominated the paint, scoring easy baskets and blocking shots against the bewildered Bucks.

Over the last two games, the Lakers have resembled the powerhouse everybody envisioned before their tumultuous season began.

They’re about to find out whether they got it together in time to compete with the Miami Heat.

Howard had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Bryant also scored 31 points and the Lakers beat Milwaukee 104-88 Tuesday night for their second straight win after a six-game skid.

Metta World Peace added 12 points as the Lakers prepared for Thursday’s visit from the NBA champion Heat with an impressive effort featuring 30-point games for both Bryant and Howard for the second time in their brief tenure together. After a similar effort against Cleveland two days earlier, the Lakers are cautiously optimistic they’ve solved a few problems.

”It’s been great,” Howard said. ”When we play the way we played these last two games, I don’t see anybody beating us. The problem is we have to do it on a consistent basis and not have any lapses during the game. We’re learning, but stuff like that takes time. The biggest thing, we’ve just got to stick together. We can’t let nothing on the outside tear us apart.” …

Monta Ellis scored 17 points for the Bucks, who lost for the second time in five games under interim coach Jim Boylan. Brandon Jennings was held to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting by Bryant, and Milwaukee’s young star emerged from Staples Center with newfound respect for the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.

— Reported by Greg Beachman of the Associated Press

Bucks rally to beat Raptors 107-96

Milwaukee’s Larry Sanders has made a name for himself as a shot blocker this season. Few have been as pivotal as the one he pulled off against Toronto on Sunday.

Brandon Jennings had 19 points and 10 assists, rookie John Henson scored 19 and the Bucks rallied from a 20-point first quarter deficit to beat Toronto 107-96, their eighth straight victory over the Raptors.

Sanders extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one block to 23 with a pair of rejected shots. His biggest, however, was a block on DeMar DeRozan’s layup attempt with 3:09 to play and the Bucks clinging to a 92-91 lead.

”He’s a flier,” Sanders said of DeRozan. ”I just had to try and get the timing right.” …

Sanders finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks, who won for the 12th time in 15 meetings with the Raptors.

Monta Ellis scored 17 points and Dunleavy had 15 as the Bucks improved to 3-1 under new coach Jim Boylan…

Amir Johnson had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Ed David had 20 and 12 for the Raptors, who led 32-12 early but lost their fifth straight home meeting with the Bucks.

DeRozan scored 23 points and Jose Calderon scored 15 of his 21 in Toronto’s big first quarter, but the Raptors couldn’t hold on, losing for the first time in three games.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Bucks assign Doron Lamb to D-League

The Milwaukee Bucks have assigned rookie guard Doron Lamb to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Indiana) of the NBA Development League (D-League), General Manager John Hammond announced today. Lamb will report to Fort Wayne on Sunday and practice with the Mad Ants in preparation for their road trip to Los Angeles (Jan. 16) and Bakersfield (Jan. 18). Fort Wayne is coached by Duane Ticknor and is also the D-League affiliate of Detroit, Indiana and Charlotte.

Brandon Jennings scores 35 in Bucks win over Bulls

Brandon Jennings stretched out his arms and held his hands just over the ground as he glided toward center court, celebrating another big 3-pointer with one of Nate Robinson’s usual moves.

Yup, Jennings was listening to Robinson’s trash talk, and he had the perfect response.

The speedy point guard scored 20 of his 35 points in the third quarter, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 104-96 on Wednesday night for their second consecutive victory under interim coach Jim Boylan.

Robinson scored 13 of his 19 points in the first period, but was unable to stop Jennings once he got going in the third.

”A little trash talking before the second half,” Jennings said. ”I guess he felt like he had it going, he was getting the best of me. I really don’t take trash talking too kindly because I don’t really do a lot of trash talking. I warned him, so, hey, it happens.”

Mike Dunleavy had 16 points and Monta Ellis finished with 14 for Milwaukee, which made 10 of 22 3-point attempts. Larry Sanders grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked seven shots…

Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have dropped their last two games against Milwaukee at United Center. The Bulls blew a 27-point lead in the third quarter as Milwaukee snapped a nine-game losing streak against Chicago with a 93-92 victory on Nov. 26…

Luol Deng scored 18 points for Chicago, which was seeking a season-best fourth consecutive victory.

Robinson got the start in place of Kirk Hinrich, who was sidelined with a right elbow injury.

— Reported by Jay Cohen of the Associated Press