Wisconsin News and Sports
Zach Randolph had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Memphis big man Marc Gasol had 14 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies to a 108-90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Wednesday night.
The Bucks (2-1) trailed by 22-points in the 3rd quarter and closed the gap to 7 but couldn’t climb all the way back.
Memphis shot 53% from the field, while the Bucks converted just 38.5%.
With a victory over the Boston Celtics Friday night, the Milwaukee Bucks have started their season 1-0 for the first time in six years.
The game went back and forth for the first six minutes, but after the six-minute mark, the Milwaukee Bucks lead the Celtics and would not give up that lead.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles said the team had a lot of good energy and responded well to the Celtics third quarter push to try to establish a lead over the Bucks.
Milwaukee was led by Brandon Jennings’s 21 points in the 99-88 win on Friday night. Jennings was accompanied by five other Bucks who ended up scoring double digits. Jennings also led the Bucks, and the Celtics, with 13 assists.
Kevin Garnett lead the Celtics with 15 points and was helped by five other Celtics who scored at least 10 points.
Ersan Ilyasova had 11 rebounds, leading the Bucks, and Jared Sullinger had 7 rebounds, leading the Celtics.
The Bucks look to continue their winning ways and go 2-0 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Bucks’ home opener Saturday night.
The Milwaukee Bucks open the regular season tonight when they face the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston.
Boston lost Ray Allen in free agency to Miami, but the Celtics have added the likes of Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa. Both Terry and Barbosa are former NBA Sixth Man of the Year award winners.
This is a big year for Bucks coach Scott Skiles and General Manager John Hammond, both of whom are in the last year of their contracts. Both could be in jeopardy if the Bucks don’t make a return trip into the postseason.
The Celtics have won 14 of the last 17 games played between the two teams.
Following tonight’s opener, the Bucks return home to host Cleveland on Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Milwaukee Bucks introduced one of their new faces Monday morning. Samuel Dalemebert was traded to Milwaukee from Houston last week for Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston and John Brockman. The deal also included a swap of draft picks, Houston got the 12th pick and Milwaukee the 14th pick.
Dalembert is a true center, something Milwaukee lacked last year once Andrew Bogut went down with injury and was traded to Golden State leaving a void for this season. General Manger John Hammond is happy to have him…
Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on
Scott Skiles
Tuesday that he’ll be back to coach another season, his 5th with the franchise.
Skiles is 144-164 in four NBA seasons with the Bucks, who have failed to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
Skiles has one year left on his current contract, which was extended in 2010.
The Bucks consistently beat teams below them in the standings (22-5 vs. sub-.500 teams) but couldn’t beat the teams at the top of the Eastern and Western conferences. The Bucks were 3-17 against the top six teams in the East. [Read more…]
Milwaukee Bucks GM John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles both
Scott Skiles
have one year remaining on their contracts. Hammond figures to be back with the team next season, but there’s speculation that Skiles may not get that final year on the court.
The Bucks lost their season finale 87-74 in Boston last night, finishing 31-35. They were eliminated from playoff contention on Monday.
Skiles will sit down with Bucks owner, Senator Herb Kohl soon. That meeting could come as early as today.
Skiles record as Bucks head coach is 146-166 over four seasons. His best record came in 2009-10 when the Bucks reached the playoffs with a 46-36 record.
The Bucks players are doing exit interviews this morning and clearing out their lockers. We should learn just exactly what’s in store for Hammond and Skiles as well.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been officially eliminated from the NBA playoff picture, despite knocking off the Toronto Raptors 92-86 last night at the Bradley Center.
Philadelphia entered the night with a magic number of 1 to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers didn’t waste any time, clinching the 8-seed in the East by beating New Jersey 105-87. [Read more…]
The Milwaukee Bucks still trail the New York Knicks by 2-games in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, but time is running out. The Bucks have just 6-games left to try to catch the Knicks.
The Bucks fell to the Indiana Pacers at home on Saturday night. They’ll play at Washington on Wednesday night, then get another shot at the Pacers on Thursday, this time on the road.
AUDIO: Drew Gooden says they are who they are :07
The Bucks had fallen 2 1/2 games behind New York after Saturday’s loss to Indiana, but the Knicks did the Bucks a favor yesterday by falling to Miami 93-85 on Sunday.
The Bucks free throw shooting has been a killer. They finished 16 of 26, while the Pacers hit 24 of 26. The Bucks also had no answer for Packers big man Roy Hibbert. The 7’2 all-star center finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
AUDIO: Brandon Jennings says opposing “bigs” are hurting the Bucks in the end :10
Part of the problem is the Bucks inability to defend opponents, especially in the 1st half at home. In the last three home games (all losses), the Bucks have allowed 61, 62 and 59 points in the first half.
Those poor starts have caused the Bucks to expend a lot of energy just to get back into the games.
Of the Bucks final six games, three are at home and three on the road. The odds appear to be stacked against them.
The Milwaukee Bucks fought back from an early deficit and held a 8-point lead in the fourth quarter last night, only to fall to the New York Knicks 111-107 at the Bradley Center.
With 8-games left to play, the loss deals the Bucks a big blow in their attempt to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs. They trail the Knicks by 2-games for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Knicks J.R. Smith hit a 3-pointer with 1:04 left to give the Knicks the lead for good.
Carmelo Anthony had 32 points and 10 rebounds while Tyson Chandler added 19 points for the Knicks.
Monta Ellis had 35 points and Brandon Jennings 22 for the Bucks. Milwaukee plays at Detroit on Friday night and will host Indiana on Saturday, putting themselves into a must win.
AUDIO: Scott Skiles says the Bucks need to win and get help :07
AUDIO: Scott Skiles says they didn’t get it done in the 4th quarter :18
The Bucks trailed by 14 points in the first quarter but battled back to tie the game 62-62 at halftime. They led 94-86 with 9:24 left in the game.
With 9-games left in the regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks face a crucial test
Scott Skiles
tonight when they host the New York Knicks at the Bradley Center.
The Knicks dropped a 98-86 decision to the Bulls in Chicago last night and their lead over the Bucks for the 8th and final Eastern Conference playoff spot is down to 1-game. The Bucks can even things up with a victory over New York tonight.
The Knicks have put more of an emphasis on defense this season, especially since Mike Woodson has taken over for Mike D’Antoni, who recently resigned. The Knicks currently rank 11th in the league, averaging just 94.5 points per game.
AUDIO: Scott Skiles on what the Bucks can expect from the Knicks :12
The Bucks have won two of the three games already played this season. A win tonight would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Knicks. The Bucks have also won 4-straight against the Knicks in games played at the Bradley Center.