Matchups.............

[BadCo]

Matchup: Bulls at Pacers

<dl class="byline"><dd>7:43 PM CST, February 21, 2009</dd></dl> <!-- body --> TV/radio: 11 a.m. Sunday; WGN-Ch. 9, WMVP-AM 1000.

Series: Bulls lead 1-0.

Last meeting: Derrick Rose's 23 points led the Bulls to a 104-91 home victory Nov. 15.

Probable starters

Points per game
<table border="1"><thead><tr><td>BULLS (25-30)</td><td> PACERS (23-34)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td> Derrick Rose 16.9 </td><td> T.J. Ford 14.9</td></tr><tr><td> Ben Gordon 20.7 </td><td> Jarrett Jack 11.2</td></tr><tr><td> Joakim Noah 5.6 </td><td> Roy Hibbert 6.2</td></tr><tr><td> Tyrus Thomas 9.9 </td><td> Troy Murphy 13.2</td></tr><tr><td> Luol Deng 14.7 </td><td> Marquis Daniels 13.5</td></tr></tbody></table>Team comparison

Averages per game ( NBA rank)
<table border="1"><thead><tr><td>BULLS</td><td>CATEGORY</td><td align="right">PACERS</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>100.8 (11)</td><td align="center">Scoring offense</td><td align="right">104.7 (5)</td></tr><tr><td>102.0 (21)</td><td align="center">Scoring defense</td><td align="right">106.8 (27)</td></tr><tr><td>45.1 (18)</td><td align="center">FG percentage</td><td align="right">45.2 (17)</td></tr><tr><td>79.1 (8)</td><td align="center">FT percentage</td><td align="right">80.6 (5)</td></tr><tr><td>42.2 (11)</td><td align="center">Rebounding</td><td align="right">43.3 (2)</td></tr><tr><td>15.2 (24)</td><td align="center">Turnovers</td><td align="right">15.0 (21)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Through Friday

Story line: The Pacers' two leading scorers, Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy, are injured. Look for the Bulls to continue to try to push the tempo, even with new players entering the rotation.



February 21, 2009
A team effort


Posted by Mike Wells

MINNEAPOLIS - You would like to think Friday's victory over the Timberwolves was a sign of things to come for the Pacers as they try to salvage something out of their season.
It was good to see Marquis Daniels have his best game in more than two months and for the Pacers to have good ball movement.
But we have to be real about things, though, we all know their slim playoff chances vanished when the Pacers announced that Danny Granger could possibly be out as long as three weeks with his foot problem. Granger's injury goes with Mike Dunleavy's knee problem, which probably will cost him the rest of the season.
The Pacers will have to get scoring from a number of people to make up for Granger's absence.
This would be a good time for Daniels, T.J. Ford and Troy Murphy to take their game to an even higher level. Rookie Brandon Rush also needs to take advantage of the playing time he's about to get.
--The trade deadline came and went without the Pacers pulling off a trade (surprise, surprise).
Somebody asked does Tinsley's salary count against the cap if he's bought out.
First off, Larry Bird is not going to buy out Tinsley's contract.
But if for some reason he does change his mind, it would be amortized over the remaining years of his contract with only the buyout portion of it counting against the salary cap.
We're going to quit talking about Tinsley for now until something happens with his grievance case.

 

[BadCo]

<nyt_kicker>Knicks 127, Raptors 97</nyt_kicker>
<nyt_headline version="1.0" type=" "> Knicks Top the Raptors for a Feel-Good Victory</nyt_headline>



In the first game after the team president Donnie Walsh’s two win-now trades, the Knicks could not have had an easier win. They rolled past the listless Raptors without any contribution from either of their new additions. The big man Chris Wilcox was in uniform, but did not play because of travel fatigue, Coach Mike D’Antoni said, and shooting guard Larry Hughes watched in street clothes from the bench awaiting clearance from the league to play.
So the Knicks were instead led by Wilson Chandler, who had a career-high 32 points and was 6 for 10 from beyond the 3-point line. In all, the Knicks made 17 3-pointers, two shy of the franchise record they set earlier this season. Nate Robinson and Al Harrington each had four, and Danilo Gallinari hit two on Italian heritage night. David Lee had 24 points and 15 rebounds.
The Knicks shot 49.5 percent from the field, including 72.7 in the first quarter, when they seized control.
“We had four or five guys just on fire,” D’Antoni said. “It just makes it rough for any team.”
The Raptors’ star forward, Chris Bosh, acknowledged being exhausted; he was playing in his first game after missing five with a sprained right knee.
Bosh, one of the star players who could become a free agent after the 2010 season and therefore a potential target for the Knicks, looked like a shell of his normal self, with 12 points and 9 rebounds in almost 31 minutes.
The game was never competitive. The Knicks did not trail and reached the 100-point mark in the third quarter when Gallinari hit a 3-pointer with 2 minutes 47 seconds to play. The hot-dogging began soon after, with Chandler throwing down a thunderous one-handed dunk on a cowering Bosh to make the score 108-77 early in the fourth.
Before the game, Walsh said that Hughes had passed his physical, but he could not play until Tim Thomas and Anthony Roberson, whom the Knicks sent to Chicago in the deal, had passed theirs. The third player the Knicks sent to Chicago, Jerome James, is out for the season with a torn right Achilles’ tendon, and the Bulls waived his physical.
Hughes was not part of the Bulls’ rotation and has not played since Jan. 12. He said it would take some time to get back into game shape, and that process should begin Sunday for the back end of this home-and-home series in Toronto on Sunday.
Wilcox, who had not played since Feb. 11, became a spare part in Oklahoma City as the Thunder decided to go with its younger players. He was not expected to be available for Friday night’s game, but he and Malik Rose, whom the Knicks sent to the Thunder, passed their physicals and were cleared to play.
Wilcox and Hughes are expected to have some role in D’Antoni’s rotation for the rest of the season, but it is unlikely either will be around in 2010 when the Knicks hope to add one or more high-profile free agents. One of them could be Bosh. Another could be a player from Cleveland, a very talented young man who wears No. 23.
REBOUNDS
Donnie Walsh said he made contact with Stephon Marbury’s representative to reopen negotiations on a potential buyout of Marbury’s contract, but he would not characterize what progress, if any, was made. Walsh also said he was fielding calls for players to fill one or both of the Knicks’ vacant roster spots, and that Patrick Ewing Jr. remained a candidate.

 

[BadCo]

Meanwhile, the Suns have had crises of their own. They seemed to be sinking as they played host to the NBA All-Star Game last Sunday, then replaced coach Terry Porter with Alvin Gentry and went on a scoring spree. But during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday, forward Amar'e Stoudemire absorbed a blow to his right eye, which caused a partially detached retina that will keep him out for at least eight weeks.
Still, the Suns took a 140-118 home victory over Oklahoma City Friday night, their third straight 140-point game.
"They may [score 140], but they haven't done it against us yet," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't worry about those teams. You know what they're doing. First of all, they are terrific offensively, they always have been, they always will be, as long as [Steve] Nash is there. But we're terrific defensively.
"Obviously, we don't have Kevin, but that doesn't change our team defense. We have to be efficient offensively, too. Some things Kevin did we can't duplicate; we're not going to try.
"It's got to be a team effort. Kevin has the ability - he's just so smart - he has the ability to see things that we didn't discuss as a staff or in shootaround, that he has the ability to sniff out. The young guys are not to that level yet. And we're going to miss that.
"You can't prepare for those misses, where it looks like we were prepared defensively but sometimes it's Kevin seeing something that we didn't pick up. Our team defense has to be very solid and it has to be a collection.
"It's a great challenge. [The Suns] are playing with great confidence."
If Garnett sits for two weeks, he'll miss six games. Any longer and he could miss home dates against Cleveland (March 6) and Orlando (March 8).
"It makes you feel better no surgery is required, or anything like that," Rivers said. "[But] we don't know how long. I don't worry about guys who are out as much as I worry about guys who are playing.
"The day [Garnett] can be back, he'll be back working on that day, you know that. My thoughts have to be with the guys that are playing and focus on that."
The Celtics, who are also missing Tony Allen (thumb surgery), will visit the Denver Nuggets tomorrow and the Clippers Wednesday. They will continue with an 11-man roster, but hope to add a free agent or two before the March 1 playoff roster deadline.
Rivers does not expect temporary help.
"If a guy was that good, it wouldn't be a 10-day deal," Rivers said after a one-hour practice at Brophy Preparatory School in Phoenix yesterday. "If somebody is good enough to replace Kevin, he'd be playing for somebody already.
"We're still looking at the same group of guys out there, whoever they are. And if we can get them tomorrow, we'll take them. If we can't, we'll keep working on getting them, but we are not going to make a mistake for short-time gain and lose something that may help us long term."
Meanwhile, the Celtics will attempt to slow down the Suns.
"They have always been one of the highest-scoring teams in the league," Allen said. "They push the ball. [Former coach Mike] D'Antoni's system gave power and freedom to the players to get the ball up and shoot and be somewhat wild and crazy. The last couple games, they've gotten back to that."

 

[BadCo]

25 Comments
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<!-- _________________________ end toolbar_________________________ --> Rockets revising scheme

Changes aimed at using strengths of Brooks, Lowry

By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

Feb. 21, 2009, 10:01PM


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Kathy Willens AP

Rockets coach Rick Adelman wants point guard Aaron Brooks to start pushing the ball up the court at a faster pace to take advantage of his quickness.


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<!-- BEGIN movie info box --> <!-- END movie info box -->
<!-- end floating resource box --> Yao Ming needed just one game since the Rockets’ changing of the guards.
Rafer Alston was out. Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry were in. Yao knew adjustments had to be made.
“He needs to speak louder,” Yao said of Brooks. “I have a hearing problem.”
That was never an issue with Alston. But the changes did not end there.
A day later, Yao thought of the length-of-the-floor, fast-break pass Lowry had thrown his way and came up with another correction.
“I need to go and catch those long passes like Kyle threw me from the backcourt,” he said. “I’m going to keep trying.”
The changes in roster and rotation transform the Rockets in more ways than with the players involved. With its first practice since the deadline deal Thursday, the team began retooling its offense around the strengths and styles of Brooks and Lowry, while working to correct the pick-and-roll defense the Mavericks exploited on occasion during Friday’s win by the Rockets.
“We’re trying to adjust to who we have and trying to clean up the way we’re going to play, especially on the offensive end,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “We’re playing with a totally different rotation now. It’s pretty set. For instance, how are we going to get the ball to Yao? We’re trying to push the ball more. What’s going to be the best advantage for that for Aaron and for Kyle and the guys on the floor with them?
“Defensively, pick-and-roll, we just have to do better. It starts with the point guards.”
Don’t walk it, push it

The Rockets considered Friday’s defensive struggles too infrequent to be worth great concern, particularly given Lowry’s limited practice and playing time. Brooks is confident repetitions defending in those situations will help.
Offensively, the Rockets want to use Brooks’ and Lowry’s speed more, not just in fast breaks, but in getting into their halfcourt offense.
“We’re trying to push the ball up and not walk the ball up,” Adelman said. “The people we have off the bench, the two point guards we have, it’s to their advantage to get it up the court. And if nothing is there … then we’ve got Yao as our anchor. He’s a guy we can go to at the end. And it helps him (to) where he doesn’t have to try to get down the court and get banged every possession...
“If we get to that point, now you can see the flowing offense, the other team cannot lock into. We’ve done it in stages but not enough. A great example is Tony Parker. He’ll push it. He’ll attack. Or he’ll pull it back and they’ll look for something else. It’s really important he (Brooks) will pick and choose his spots.”
Brooks described the revised offensive emphasis in simple terms. Run to look for the “easy option.”
“Then,” he said, “it’s Yao time.”
Brooks has a plan

Defensively, Brooks seemed unconcerned with the demands of his increased responsibility. Though Brooks started seven games before Friday’s promotion — the Rockets are 7-1 with Brooks starting — playing more often with Yao will put him in more pick-and-roll situations. He said he is ready for that, too.
“You got to keep fighting through pick-and-rolls,” Brooks said. “ We’ll get better with time and reps. We’re going to get those reps now. I think I got better from last year as far as pick-and-rolls.
“Right now, I think I’m too busy reading what we want to do and not reading what the offense is doing. Pick-and-roll is a hard play to defend. Everybody uses it. You want to force them to take tough shots. If they’re taking contested mid-range jumpers, you did your job.”
When the Mavericks began missing those jumpers, the Rockets went from a 16-point deficit to an 11-point lead. They did not clinch the win until Brooks hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes, but the Rockets knew he could do that. With one game, they might have learned something else.
“I think we played harder,” Ron Artest said. “We played a lot of defense. The good thing was, being down 16, the two young point guards, they held their composure.”
For now, with other adjustments to be made, that was enough.
“That’s a good start for us,” Yao said. “Obviously, you know how important a point guard is, the commander on the court. The way we changed our starting lineup with Aaron Brooks in the starting lineup, I don’t expect something great (would) happen, but last night something good happened at least. That’s a good start for us.”
jonathan.feigen@chron.com

 

[BadCo]

IN MY OPINION

Comments (5) | Recommend (0)
<!-- /yahoo/yahoo_buzz.comp --> Bobcats show they still have a ways to go

By Scott Fowler
sfowler@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009
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' --> Bobcats coach Larry Brown reacts unfavorably to a call during Friday's game against Orlando. Afterward, he expressed his displeasure with the play of Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin. STREETER LECKA – GETTY IMAGES




<!-- /shared/ads/national/ntl3_additional.comp --> The Charlotte Bobcats and their fans were hardly ever in sync Friday night. The crowd was large – the team announced a season high in attendance with 19,244 tickets distributed.
So the fans were ready.
The Bobcats?
They weren't ready. They played unintelligent, uninspired basketball. They lost a game to the Orlando Magic, 92-80, that you knew the Bobcats would lose by early in the second quarter.
There was only one moment when the Bobcats' fans and the team hit the same note. That was when Orlando's ridiculously good center, Dwight Howard, coming off the court after the game, paused to take off his jersey and his shoes to give to fans.
Howard handed the jersey off, but then heaved his two basketball shoes in separate directions. The second one of those boats caused a near-riot, as it ricocheted off several fans and lodged under a set of chairback seats.
Half a dozen people dove for that shoe – and what would you do with one Dwight Howard shoe anyway? The diving fans fell all over each other for it in what resembled a strange game of Twister.
That's what the Bobcats looked like the whole game Friday. For the most part, it seemed like they were trying hard, but they were so awkward-looking.
All that roster upheaval?
It still isn't enough.
The Bobcats (22-33) still aren't anything more than a mediocre NBA team. Just when they make a few more casual sports fans pay attention – like they have recently with a series of trades and a couple of good wins – they regress.
On Friday, Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin took 29 shots between them, repeatedly jacking the ball up from outside or driving to the middle, trying to draw fouls on Howard and failing.
Coach Larry Brown was furious after the game. Yes, Orlando (40-14) is very good, but this was an opportunity lost. Charlotte had taken the Magic to overtime Tuesday before losing on the road, but this time the Bobcats were barely in the game at home.
“When you have more turnovers than assists, you have no prayer,” Brown growled. And there was a lot more after that, mostly directed at Felton and Augustin for not passing.
That stuff about the 68-year-old Brown mellowing? Didn't seem that way Friday. Notoriously hard on point guards throughout his career, Brown castigated both Felton and Augustin afterward.
Felton, as he always does, took the blame.
“It was my fault,” he said over and over in his postgame interview. “Plain and simple. My fault.”
Which was fine, but simplistic. The problem wasn't just Felton.
The problem was that the Bobcats still don't quite have it. Well, some nights they do, but many nights they don't. They are at least one player and another offseason away from doing anything special.
And on Friday, the Bobcats looked about as silly as somebody would wearing one of his own shoes on one foot – and one of Dwight Howard's on the other.
Scott Fowler: 704-358-5140; sfowler@charlotteobserver.com

 

[BadCo]

NUGGETS FASTBREAKS

TEAM
• Despite their loss at Chicago on 2/20, the Nuggets remain 37-18 on the year and still own the best 55-game record in team history (next
best is 36-19 in 1976-77). With a win at Milwaukee on 2/22, this year’s squad will maintain the team’s best 56-game record since joining
the NBA.
• Denver’s loss at Chicago on 2/20 is only their third loss this year against a team with a sub-.500 record. The Nuggets are now 21-3 (.875)
this season against teams under .500, which stands as the fourth-best record in the NBA under these circumstances. Interestingly, one of the
three losses actually came at Golden State on 11/5, in which they were without both Iverson and Billups because of the pending trade.
• The Nuggets allowed 116 points at Chicago on 2/20, which represents the second-most points that Denver has given up this season. It is,
however, the most points that the Nuggets have allowed in a losing effort so far this year – their opponent season-high of 120 actually came
in a win at Oklahoma City on 1/2 (122-120).
• With Denver’s 116-99 loss at Chicago on 2/20, all but three of the Nuggets’ 18 losses so far this season have come at the hands of an
opponent scoring 100+ points.
• The Bulls shot .506 (40-79) from the field against the Nuggets on 2/20, becoming only the eighth Denver opponent to shoot .500 or better
from the floor this season – the Nuggets have gone 3-5 in those games.
• Denver scored only 99 points at Chicago on 2/20 and is now just 9-14 this season when scoring less than 100 points. Despite the losing
record, it remains a far cry from the last two regular seasons in which the Nuggets were a combined 6-39 when scoring under 100 points.
• The Nuggets led by as many as 12 points in their loss at Chicago on 2/20, which marks only the third time this season that Denver has
blown a lead of 10+ points – the other games being at Golden State on 11/5 (18) and vs. Detroit on 1/9 (13).
• Chicago set two Nuggets opponent season-highs on 2/20: points scored in a second half (62) and points scored off turnovers (27).
• The Nuggets led Philadelphia 71-68 after three quarters during their win on 2/18. The Nuggets are now 29-1 this season when leading thru
three quarters, which stands as the best record in the NBA under those circumstances.
• Denver held Philadelphia to .326 (28-86) FG shooting on 2/18 – the second-straight opponent to shoot below .330 from the field (Orlando
shot .304 on 2/11). Prior to these last two games, the Nuggets had never before held two-consecutive opponents to under .330 FG shooting
as a member of the NBA. Additionally, Denver is now 11-1 on the year when holding the opposition below .400 shooting from the floor.
• The Nuggets erased a 16-point deficit in their win at Philadelphia on 2/18, which marks the 10th time this season that they have won despite
trailing by 10+ points during the game.
• Denver allowed only 89 points at Philadelphia on 2/18, improving to 12-0 this season when holding an opponent to 90 or fewer points.
• The Nuggets scored 101 points at Philadelphia on 2/18 and remain an impressive 28-4 this season when scoring 100+ (11-3 on the road).
• Denver managed only 37 points in the first half at Philadelphia on 2/18, tying their season-low for points scored prior to halftime.
• The Nuggets were whistled for a season-high 32 personal fouls at Philadelphia on 2/18.
• Orlando connected on just 21 field goals against the Nuggets on 2/11, setting a new Nuggets NBA opponent record for the fewest FG
makes in a game (previous was 23, twice, most recently vs. Boston on 3/22/03).
• Denver scored 82 points in their win at Orlando on 2/11, marking their fewest points in a winning effort since 1/3/08 vs. San Antonio (80-
77). Additionally, it is the Nuggets’ fewest points in a road win since claiming an 80-79 win at Phoenix on 11/23/02.
• The Nuggets held Orlando to only 73 points on 2/11, setting an opponent season-low for total points. By also holding Miami to 82 points
the game before on 2/10, this marks the first time since the 2004-05 season that Denver held two-straight opponents to 82 or fewer points
(76 at Houston on 11/27/04 and 67 vs. New Orleans on 11/29/04). Additionally, this is the first time since the 1999-2000 season that the
Nuggets held two-straight road opponents to 82 or less (78 at New York on 12/5/99 and 77 at Philadelphia on 12/6/99).
• Denver held Orlando to an opponent season-low 29 points in the first half on 2/11, including an opponent season-low 12 points in the
second quarter alone.
• The Nuggets (20) and Magic (18) combined for just 38 total points in the paint on 2/11. This is the fewest total points in the paint that
Denver and an opponent have combined to score since 4/1/03 at Phoenix (32 – Nuggets had 14 and the Suns had 18).

 

[BadCo]

A big reason the Bucks are still in the playoff race is that they happen to reside in the Eastern Conference where a team with a sub-.500 record will probably make the playoffs.
In the West, a team with a record far above the .500 mark will most likely not make the playoffs.
But, as they say in the league, it is what it is.
The Bucks will take a 27-31 record into today's game against the Denver Nuggets (37-18) at the Bradley Center and hold a percentage-points lead over the Chicago Bulls (25-30) who hold down the ninth spot. New Jersey (24-32) and New York (23-31) are not far behind.
Through the first three months of the season, the Bucks faced one of the more difficult schedules in franchise history, playing 31 road games, which ties Toronto for the most in the league. The Bucks have played a league-high 58 games overall. Of the remaining 24 games, 14 are against teams that would be in the playoffs if they began today.
Coach Skiles has been consistent all season in downplaying playoff talk, preferring to emphasize improvement among his players and as a team in general.
"I've kind of said it from the beginning, and it's what I believe in," he said.
"But we know we're not there yet and so it's important that we just keep our eye on how we play."
The Bucks have played much of the season without leading scorer Michael Redd, who missed 14 games early in the season with an ankle injury and is lost for the season with a knee injury. The Bucks won five of the last 11 games that he has missed.
The Bucks also played the last 19 games without leading rebounder Andrew Bogut, who is out with a back injury. The hope is that he will return in early April for the final weeks of the season.
Starting point guard Luke Ridnour returned Friday to play against Cleveland after missing five games with a fractured thumb.




BUCK SHOTS
BUCK SHOTS
BUCK SHOTS
BUCK SHOTS




• Today is Milwaukee’s third Sunday game of the season and first of two to be played at home. They’re currently
1-1 in those games.
• Charlie Villanueva recorded his 12th double-double of the season on Friday with 26 points and season-high
tying 13 rebounds. He also handed out a career-high tying six assists. It was the 250th game of his career.
• Today is the Bucks sixth game out of seven played at home (3-3). Following this game they’ll play four out of
the next six on the road before a season-high six-game homestand.
• Over his last six games Richard Jefferson is hitting 58.3 percent of his three pointers (14-24) and now has
connected on a team-high 77 triples this year, tying his career-high set last season.
• Milwaukee concluded a stretch where they played each of the Central Division teams and finished 2-2.
• The Bucks haven’t been outscored in the paint in the last six games and they hold a 246-198 edge in that
time (41.0-33.0).
• Charlie Villanueva has started the last 17 games and has averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds with seven
double-doubles and 48.2 FG% (136-2282) and 39.2 3FG% (31-79).













2008-09 Regular Season Match-ups (CT)
Nov 18, 2008 @ Denver – L, 105-114 Feb 22, 2009 @ Milwaukee – 4:00 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES:
Milwaukee trails 29-45

• The Nuggets own the third-best record in the Western Conference at 37-18.
• Denver has won 9 of the last 11 games against Milwaukee. In the first game of this year’s series, Charlie Bell
led six Bucks players in double-figures by scoring a season-high 25 points, but the Nuggets shot 50.7 percent
and had seven players to notch at least 10 for the victory.
• The Nuggets are leading the NBA in steals (9.1) with Kenyon Martin leading the squad at 1.6 (12th in NBA).
Denver is also ranked third in blocks (5.7) with Chris Anderson’s 2.1 blocks leading the team and ranking
fourth in the league.
• The Northwest Division leaders have been efficient on offense, averaging 103.4 points (6th) and 22.5 assists
(6th), while shooting 47.2 percent from the field (6th).

NEWS & NOTES …
NEWS & NOTES …
NEWS & NOTES …
NEWS & NOTES …



TRI-FECTA – Over the last five games Milwaukee has hit plenty of triples, going 40-89 from three point range for a
44.9 percentage. The trifecta of Richard Jefferson (13-22, 59.1 percent), Charlie Bell (11-23, 47.8) and Charlie
Villanueva (9-25) have done the bulk of the damage, combining to hit 33 three pointers (33-70, 47.1 percent).
Keith Bogans has joined in as well, knocking down 41.7 percent of his attempts (5-12).

THIS MAY BE OFFENSIVE – The Bucks have gotten offensive over their last six games, topping the 100 point mark
in five of those games and averaging 111.0 points on 47.3 percent shooting (234-495). Milwaukee is shooting
43.4 percent from three over that stretch (46-106) and also getting to the free throw line an average of 33.3 times
per game. Richard Jefferson has led the charge with 25.2 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting (49-91) and
58.3 percent (14-24) from three. Ramon Sessions has averaged 21.0 points in that time on 55.6 percent shooting
(40-72) and an average of 10.3 free throw attempts to go along with his 8.2 assists per game.

INSTANT OFFENSE – Bucks guard Charlie Bell has played the role of the microwave over the last five games,
heating up as soon as he enters the game. Bell has come off the bench in all five of those contests and is fourth on
the club with 14.2 points, scoring in double-figures four times, including two 20-point efforts. The Flint, MI native
has shot 47.3 percent from the floor (26-55) and 47.8 percent (11-23) from three point land in 26.0 minutes per
game.
off the bench for the Bulls.

February 17, 2009 @ Detroit

W, 92-86 – Milwaukee grabbed their
third straight win by claiming their first
victory in Detroit since November 1,
2006. The Bucks 29-17 first quarter
proved to be the difference as Richard
Jefferson paced the team with 29
points while adding five rebounds and
five assists. Ramon Sessions nearly
had a triple-double with 17 points, nine
rebounds and seven assists.






WEST TESTS – Milwaukee’s next three
games will be against Western
Conference opponents. Here’s a look at
their numbers in going 10-11 against
the West to this point.