Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 41 – NBA Blog

Jennings, Ellis lead Bucks over Nets

Brandon Jennings had heard all the talk about how Brooklyn’s backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson was considered one of the best in the league.

Jennings and his backcourt mate Monta Ellis were aware of the height advantage Williams and Johnson had on them, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ duo showed they belong in the conversation, too.

Jennings scored 26 points and Ellis added 24 as Milwaukee withstood Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter rally and beat the Nets 97-88 Sunday night.

”It wasnt a competition or anything like that,” said Jennings, who also had seven assists and six rebounds. ”We knew they had height advantage … so we wanted to run tonight and use more of your speed.” …

Marquis Daniels had 13 points for the Bucks and Ersan Ilyasova added 10 as Milwaukee won its second straight. The Bucks have beaten the Nets 12 straight times dating back to March 30, 2009…

Williams had 18 points and eight assists and Wallace added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the struggling Nets, losers of four straight.

— Reported by Adriano Torres of the Associated Press

Hornets break out of slump, rout Bucks 102-81

Ryan Anderson and Robin Lopez had spoken recently about the need to justify their new leadership roles with the young New Orleans Hornets by exerting the kind of feisty effort that would energize their slumping squad.

That talk became reality on Monday night.

Anderson scored 22 points, Lopez tied a season high with 21 and New Orleans won for only the second time in 11 games, 102-81 over the Milwaukee Bucks…

Lopez shot 8 of 10 from the field and made all five free throws he attempted. He also scored 11 straight points during a pivotal 13-0 run in the third quarter that gave New Orleans the lead for good…

Jason Smith added 12 points and Greivis Vasquez had 11 for the Hornets, who shot 52.4 percent (43 of 82) from the field.

Brandon Jennings hit five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points. Monta Ellis added 17 for Milwaukee, which shot 38.2 percent (29 of 76).

Milwaukee’s Larry Sanders blocked seven shots and the Bucks outrebounded the Hornets 40-37. But that was not nearly enough to keep pace with a New Orleans squad that broke loose for one of its best performances of the season, despite being without top overall draft pick Anthony Davis (left ankle), who missed his eighth straight game.

— Reported by Brett Martel of the Associated Press

Bucks rally for 91-88 victory over Celtics

Scott Skiles wanted to insert Larry Sanders into the Milwaukee Bucks’ starting lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Boston Celtics. The coach relented when the high-energy forward said he preferred a reserve role.

It sure looks as if Sanders knows what’s best for him.

He had a career-high 18 points and 16 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots, and the Bucks rallied for a 91-88 victory after the Celtics scored the first 17 points of the game…

Monta Ellis had 17 points and seven assists for the Bucks, while Ersan Ilyasova added 15 points and five rebounds. Brandon Jennings made a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter…

Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 19 points, and Kevin Garnett added 17 points and seven rebounds…

Boston played without point guard Rajon Rondo, who served the second of his two-game suspension for his role in a scuffle during a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Courtney Lee, who started in Rondo’s place, had 13 points, and Jason Terry finished with 15 points and 11 assists.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bucks rookie John Henson loves to fish

Attention fellow fishermen: If you receive a telephone call from Milwaukee Bucks rookie John Henson, don’t hang up.

“They might be like, ‘Nah, quit playing,’ ” Henson said. “But it’s something I like doing and it’s a hobby of mine. I fish all the time. I love doing it. Even if I don’t catch any fish, just to go out there and relax, be to myself or with a family member or friend. It’s fun.

“I looked up charters here and all type of stuff, and I found a few things that interest me. As soon as I have a little time, I’m definitely going to check it out.”

And a word of advice:

When bragging how your charter always returns with enough fish to feed Henson’s entire team, be sure to knock on wood.

It’s the 22-year-old’s biggest superstition.

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

Zach Randolph leads Grizzlies to win over Bucks

Zach Randolph had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies shot 53 percent from the floor in a 108-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Rudy Gay added 17 points and Marreese Speights contributed 16 off the bench to help Memphis win its third straight after a season-opening loss.

Milwaukee, which was looking to start 3-0 for the first time since the 2005-06 season, shot just 38.5 percent from the field. Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 19 points, but he was only 6 of 20 from the field. Monta Ellis added 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting.

The Grizzlies withstood a third-quarter rally and pulled away in the fourth.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Tobias Harris, Sam Dalembert will start for Bucks

Bucks coach Scott Skiles didn’t make any lineup changes for Friday night’s season opener against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

Skiles decided to stay with second-year pro Tobias Harris at small forward, with Mike Dunleavy coming off the bench at that position. And veteran Samuel Dalembert will be at center, with third-year pro Larry Sanders serving in a strong backup role.

Harris will go against Celtics star Paul Pierce as the Bucks try to spoil Boston’s home opener. The Celtics lost their season opener at Miami on Tuesday.

“it’s something we intended all along,” Skiles said of the starting five, which also includes Ersan Ilyasova, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. “Mike is comfortable coming off the bench.

“We need Tobias to get some sort of consistency. But we also know he’s 20 years old, and last season was not a wash or anything because he got some minutes but it was a very unconventional season. He’ll have his hands full here opening night.”

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

Bucks waive Mustapha Farrakhan, Eddie Gill, Orien Greene, Alando Tucker

The Milwaukee Bucks have requested waivers on guards Mustapha Farrakhan, Eddie Gill, Orien Greene and forward Alando Tucker, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Farrakhan (6-4, 175 – Virginia/Bakersfield Jam), Gill (6-0, 190 – Weber State/Townsville Crocodiles) and Greene (6-4, 208 – Louisiana-Lafayette/Los Angeles D-Fenders) each appeared in three preseason games, while Tucker (6-6, 205 – Wisconsin/Texas Legends) played in four preseason contests. All four players signed as free agents on October 1.

The Bucks roster now stands at 15 players.

Bucks exercise options on Tobias Harris, Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh

The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the third-year contract option on Tobias Harris (6-8, 226), and the fourth-year contract option on Larry Sanders (6-11, 235) and Ekpe Udoh (6-10, 245), General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Harris, 20, appeared in 42 games (nine starts) last year during his rookie season and averaged 5.0 points with 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 11.4 minutes per contest. He made his debut in the Bucks starting lineup on March 3 at Orlando, and Milwaukee went 5-2 during his first stint as a starter. Harris posted his first double-double with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds vs. Philadelphia on April 25, and scored in double figures seven times overall during his rookie campaign, with a high of 19 points coming vs. Chicago on Feb. 4. In the 2012 NBA Summer League, Harris led the Bucks with 20.8 points per game as was named to the Summer League All-Star Team.

Sanders, 23, played in 52 games last season and led the team in blocks with 76 total (1.5 per game). He also averaged 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. Sanders posted 23 multi-block games on the season, third most in the NBA by a reserve. He recorded a career-high four steals and a season-high five blocks vs. Philadelphia on April 25, becoming the first Bucks player in 25 years to reach both those numbers in a single game. In his two NBA seasons, Sanders has played in 112 games (12 starts), averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.32 blocks in 13.5 minutes per game.

Udoh, 25, appeared in 61 games (11 starts) split between Golden State and Milwaukee last season, averaging 5.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.67 blocks (11th in the NBA) in 21.2 minutes per contest. In the 11 games he started, five with Milwaukee, Udoh averaged 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.82 blocks. He posted 33 multi-block games during his second year in the NBA, a league-high 26 of them coming in a reserve role. Over his two seasons in the NBA, Udoh has played in a total of 119 games (29 starts), averaging 4.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.58 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game.

Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.

Harris was picked by the Bobcats with the 19th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, and his draft rights, along with Stephen Jackson and Shaun Livingston, were traded to the Bucks in exchange for Corey Maggette in a three-team deal involving Sacramento on June 23, 2011. Sanders was selected by Milwaukee with the 15th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and Udoh came to the Bucks on March 14, 2012, with Monta Ellis and Kwame Brown in a trade for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.

Bucks, Bradley Center agree to six-year lease

BMO Harris Bradley Center announced Monday that it has reached agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks on a new, six-year lease through Sept. 30, 2017.

The lease extension, which is backdated to Oct. 1 of last year and was expected, is the longest lease between the center and the franchise in more than 10 years and the first multiyear extension since 2007.

“This six-year lease extension represents a long-term commitment between the BMO Harris Bradley Center and the Bucks, offering security for the next five years as the community continues to determine its potential path to a new arena,” said Marc Marotta, BMO Harris Bradley Center board chairman.

The terms of the lease extension are substantially the same as in past years, arena officials said, and will not escalate during the six-year term.

— Reported by Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Ekpe Udoh injury tests Bucks frontcourt depth

It didn’t take long for the Milwaukee Bucks’ power forward depth to be tested.

Reserve forward Ekpe Udoh suffered a strained left knee in the team’s preseason opener against Cleveland on Tuesday, and Bucks coach Scott Skiles said Udoh would be sidelined 10 days to two weeks.

Fortunately for the Bucks, they have starter Ersan Ilyasova, Drew Gooden, Larry Sanders and rookie John Henson. All four can play power forward.

“We don’t think it’s anything serious with Ekpe, but we are very deep there,” Skiles said. “We are going to play at least two or three games without him and see where it goes.

“We’d like him ready for opening night (Nov. 2 in Boston). We’ll just go by what the doctors say.”

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