Bucks-Pistons Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Apr 13 2012 1:26PM

The Milwaukee Bucks have little room for error if they expect to remain in the playoff hunt.

After missing an opportunity to better their playoff position, the Bucks look to avoid both a straight defeat overall and their fourth straight visit to Detroit on Friday night against the Pistons.

Two nights after its four-game winning streak ended with a 109-89 loss to Oklahoma City at the Bradley Center, Milwaukee (28-30) had a chance to bounce back Wednesday by beating New York and tie the Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Bucks dropped two games behind the eighth-place Knicks after they failed to hold an eight-point fourth-quarter lead and fell 111-107 at home.

"Obviously, now, we need a little help," said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles, whose team got outscored 27-19 by New York in the final quarter. "We need to win, and we need a little help.

"Our issue is, are we ready when the ball goes up, can we play consistently, are we always getting after it, whether the shots go in or not? To be honest, I don't know if we can do that."

Though the Bucks face a tough challenge to reach the postseason, they have not lost hope with eight games remaining.

"We're still moving ahead," said guard Monta Ellis, who had 35 points and 10 assists against the Knicks. "We've still got a lot on our plate. We can still make a move and make these playoffs."

If Milwaukee is to achieve that feat, it could use more consistency from Ellis, who has averaged 17.3 points in 15 games since being acquired in a trade with Golden State last month. He went 14 of 25 from the field Wednesday after being held to nine points while shooting 3 of 12 against the Thunder.

Ellis has averaged 25.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting in his last four games against the Pistons.

The Bucks, however, have dropped their last three in a Detroit by an average margin of 10.6 points. Milwaukee won the first two meetings with the Pistons (22-36) this season - both at home - before shooting 35.1 percent during an 88-80 loss at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 3.

Despite Milwaukee's recent road struggles against the Pistons, guard Brandon Jennings has averaged 25.3 points in his last three games at Detroit.

After dropping the first three on a four-game road trip, the Pistons rolled to a 109-85 victory at Charlotte on Thursday. Greg Monroe had 25 points and 11 rebounds while Brandon Knight scored 21 points as the Pistons shot 52.4 percent and outrebounded the Bobcats 43-30.

"It was a fun game to coach and a fun game to watch," Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said. "I thought our guys played hard and committed on the defensive end for the most part."

Monroe broke out after totaling 28 points and 20 rebounds in the first three games of the trip. He's averaged 22.0 and 12.3 boards in the three games versus Milwaukee in 2011-12.

Knight had a career-high 26 points and seven assists in the Feb. 3 win over the Bucks.

Bucks take care of Pistons 113-97

By NOAH TRISTER
Posted Apr 14 2012 1:25AM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said matter-of-factly before Friday's game at Detroit that his team needed to win out to make the postseason.

His players took that attitude to heart.

Drew Gooden scored 26 points, and Milwaukee pulled away from the Pistons in the third quarter for a much-needed 113-97 victory Friday night.

From start to finish, the Bucks played as if their season was on the line. Milwaukee is in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, trailing the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers by two games.

"We talked about that this morning, that no matter who it is, it's a playoff game for us," Gooden said. "We can't just worry about the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers."

The Pistons didn't give Milwaukee much to worry about. The Bucks led 52-47 after two quarters but pushed the lead to double digits early in the second half and eventually led by 20. Detroit fought back to get within 12 after three, but Milwaukee maintained a comfortable advantage throughout the final quarter.

Brandon Jennings had 20 points and 10 assists for Milwaukee, which had all five starters score in double figures.

"Tonight they were the only ones playing with desperation and urgency," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "We started feeling a little sorry for ourselves, and they took advantage of it."

Brandon Knight scored 25 points for the Pistons, and Ben Gordon added 24.

After two straight losses, including a crucial one at home to the Knicks on Wednesday, Milwaukee would have been in big trouble with a loss Friday. But the Bucks hounded the Pistons early with pressure defense and took control well before the fourth quarter.

"Even though it was a tight game the first six minutes of the game, we liked our energy," Skiles said. "We thought we were upbeat and we were going to bring it tonight, and we did."

Milwaukee has seven games remaining, including one against the 76ers.

The Pistons led 16-11 early, but the Bucks seemed to get a hand on every Detroit pass for a brief stretch. Carlos Delfino stole the ball and dunked at the other end to put Milwaukee up 17-16. Moments later, Gooden added a steal of his own that led to a dunk by Monta Ellis.

"They made everything hard for us. We were even having trouble with dribble handoffs, because they were denying every inch of the floor," Frank said. "They definitely imposed their will on the game."

The Pistons turned the ball over six times in the first quarter, but they managed to stay in the game until the third. Gooden's shot from the perimeter gave the Bucks a 61-51 lead, and Ersan Ilyasova added a 3-pointer to make it 72-56.

"With Monta and Brandon Jennings, they put a lot of pressure on you, and when Drew gets things going like that, they are coming at you from every direction," Gordon said. "You have to give them credit."

It was 83-63 after a 3-pointer by Mike Dunleavy. Detroit then went on an 8-0 run, but that was the only major push from the Pistons.

Ellis scored 18 points and Delfino had 16. Ilyasova contributed 14.

Milwaukee had 36 assists and only eight turnovers. Gooden had eight assists and Ellis added seven.

Greg Monroe had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons.

NOTES: Milwaukee went 14 of 25 from the field in the third quarter, including four 3-pointers. ... New York beat Washington 103-65, but Philadelphia lost to New Jersey 95-89 to fall a game closer to Milwaukee. ... Gooden finished 12 of 18 from the field.

Notebook: Bucks 113, Pistons 97

Posted Friday April 13, 2012 11:59PM

By Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Center Drew Gooden had 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 113-97 Friday at The Palace. The Bucks, currently with the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference, now trail Philadelphia and New York by two games in the battle for the final two playoff spots. The Sixers were upset by New Jersey Friday while the Knicks defeated Washington. Rookie guard Brandon Knight led the Pistons, who have lost four of their last five, with 25 points.

QUOTABLE: "It's not like a playoff game. It's like a final. We've got to win. In the playoffs, you can maybe lose one or two games. If we lose, we're done because we're running from behind and we need every single win. So, we need to take care of business every game."
-- Bucks forward Carlos Delfino on his team's playoff run

THE STAT: 36. The Bucks had 36 assists, two shy of their season high, led by point guard Brandon Jennings' 10. Backcourt partner Monta Ellis made seven as Milwaukee had assists on 80 percent of its 45 field goals. Along with the crisp ball movement, the Bucks committed just 11 turnovers.

TURNING POINT: Up five at halftime, the Bucks blew the game open with a 28-13 run to start the half. Gooden was the focal point of the attack, contributing 10 points and five assists in the quarter. He scored two quick baskets, then dumped the ball inside to forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Delfino for layups. He followed with two more jumpers, sandwiched by his pass from the baseline to Ilyasova for another layup. Another Gooden pass from the top of the key led to a Jennings layup and his bounce pass to Mike Dunleavy for a 3-pointer ended the flurry and gave Milwaukee a commanding 83-63 lead.

QUOTABLE II: "I didn't use that as motivation. We almost won that game with that scheme. How can you be mad or down on yourself when you almost beat a team like that? You have to forget about it, move on and when you get your chance to get back out there, just play hard."
-- Drew Gooden on bouncing back after playing just five minutes in a close loss to New York Wednesday

HOT: Like Gooden, Ilyasova was a non-factor against the Knicks. He had just three points that night but responded with a 14-point, seven-rebound, two-block performance against the Pistons. He's shooting 60.6 percent from the field over his last 19 games.

NOT: Pistons starting guard Rodney Stuckey and small forward Tayshaun Prince were so ineffective that coach Lawrence Frank didn't play them in the fourth quarter. Stuckey, averaging 15.8 points, had seven points and five turnovers in 16 minutes. Prince had just four points, nine below his average, on 1-for-7 shooting and didn't grab a rebound in 24 minutes.

ROOKIE WATCH: Knight surpassed 20 points for the second straight night. He had 21 at Charlotte Thursday in a 109-85 victory. He had reached the 20-point mark 10 times this season, the second-most by a Piston since the 1993-94 season. Grant Hill had 20 or more points 32 times during the 1994-95 season.

NOTABLE: The Bucks won the season series 3-1. ... Milwaukee's starters outscored the Pistons starters 94-58. ... Ellis had 18 points after scoring 35 against the Knicks Wednesday. ... Guard Ben Gordon scored 24 off the bench for Detroit. ... The Pistons had 15 turnovers, the ninth time in the last 11 games that the Bucks have forced at least 15.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Saturday vs. Indiana, Wednesday @ Washington, Thursday @ Indiana. For the Pistons, Sunday vs. Chicago, Tuesday vs. Cleveland, Wednesday @ Atlanta.

• Bucks: Brown, Leuer
• Pistons: Macklin

• Bucks: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #68 Marat Kogut, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 15255
• Duration: 2:07