Philly/Milwaukee in 1982. (via SI vault)

76ers (14-20, 6-12 road) @ Bucks (17-19, 10-5 home)

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

76ers: Elton Brand (shoulder) and Jason Smith (knee) are out.

Bucks: Andrew Bogut (back spasms) and Malik Allen (ribs/back) are day-to-day.

08/09 Series:

Dec. 17: @Sixers 93 Bucks 88

08/09 Advanced Stats:

76ers Offense: 25th (103.2 points/100 possessions) Defense:  11th (105.2) Pace:  16th (91.5)

Bucks Offense: 22nd (104.4 points/100 possessions) Defense: 6th (103.7)  Pace:   13th (91.9)

Three points:

• Philling the paint. The Sixers are the worst three-point shooting team in basketball, making just 29.4 % from outside. At least they have the good sense not to try what isn't working; Philly attempts threes on 15 % of its shots, also the lowest percentage in the NBA. However, Philadelphia scores 37.8 points per game on inside shots, the second highest average in the NBA.
• Sunnier in Milwaukee? Let's be honest, neither team really won the last time these sides met in Philly. While the Sixers were credited for a victory, they lost Elton Brand, who went down in a heap and out of the game, suffering a shoulder injury from which he hasn't returned. Meanwhile, the Bucks were in the middle of a great week and a half of undefeated basketball, save for a fourth quarter flop against a Philly team missing the aforementioned Brand. As such, Milwaukee faces a fellow playoff hopeful missing an important big man for the second straight game. And it's good timing, with Bogut still ailing. Let's hope they can take advantage again, like they did against the Jermaine O'Neal-less Raptors.
• Marreese's pieces. The Sixers snapped an unsightly slide -- six losses in seven games -- with a 104-96 home win against the Rockets last night. Andre Iguodala gets headlines (or at least subheads) with 28/3/3 and four steals, and Marreese Speights (15 pts 8 rebs, 4 blks in 23 mins) showed again why he is one of Philly's few pleasant surprise. More evidence: The 16th overall draft pick and 21 year-old out of the University of Florida easily leads all rookies in PER.

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Sixers 4 Guidos / Liberty Ballers

In a matchup that paired Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls, Toronto teased by storming to an early double-digit lead, but Milwaukee finished with poise and a win. Michael Redd scored 35 point to lift the Bucks to a 107-97 win over the Raptors as the former continued to look like a playoff contender while the latter team played more the part of pretender.

Chris Bosh made nary a mistake en route to 31/5/12 on 12-14. Andrea Bargnani also came quite alive with 21/8/2 and converted 5-6 from deep for the Raps, but Luke Ridnour, Charlie Bell, Redd, and company had fourth quarter fun to propel the home team.

Three Bucks

• Michael Redd. Embracing a team concept under Scott Skiles, no Buck reached 30 points for almost two months before Redd scored 31 last week. Now the two-guard has surpassed that mark twice in the last three days. Worry not though, because Milwaukee has won both of those games. In a largely lethargic first period for the hometown cagers, Redd ripped the Raps for nine straight points to help Milwaukee hang, and the Bucks rode Redd's 16 points into a three point halftime deficit that seemed like it should have been a lot more. Michael supplied a season-high 35 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
  
• Charlie Villanueva. Charlie loved playing Milwaukee when he was a Raptor, and he sure seems to like playing the Raptors now that he's with Milwaukee. CV entered the game with nice numbers (14.6 points on 54.0 % FG and 44.0 % 3PT) against his former north-of-the-border mates. Villanueva was productive (25/6/4), and timely, with a jumper to end the first, a stuff of Will Solomon's layup attempt at the second quarter buzzer, and a jumper to provide Milwaukee a 99-97 lead late.
• Ramon Sessions. Ramon hasn't spent much time up here since December commenced, but with Ridnour sort of skidding after a couple scorching weeks, it's nigh time Sessions reasserts himself. Tonight was a step in the right direction as the backup point guard made the most of his 23 minutes with 11 points and eight assists.

Three Numbers

• 7. Luke Ridnour was virtually invisible until the last few minutes, but still finished second among Milwaukee starters with a mere seven points...
• +77. So how did the Bucks win then? Well, bench contributed 51 points, and the Bell/Villanueva/Elson/Sessions foursome performed wonderfully and combined for an unbelievable +77 differential. Redd (+11) was the only Bucks starter with a positive differential.
• 11. Milwaukee nailed 11-26 from long range, led by Redd's 4-10 effort. The three-pointers were plentiful, and they came at just right the time, including three in the last three minutes. Well-done.
  

Three Good

• Starry night. The lack of stars (Andrew Bogut, Jose Calderon, and Jermaine O'Neal didn't play) was an important pregame theme, but Chris Bosh and Michael Redd shined brightly in a starry night at the Bradley Center. The Team USA gold medalists didn't guard each other on the court, but they might as well have because no one could guard them anyway. Playing on a different plane, both guys made the spectacular look routine as the game progressed.
  
• Getting better. I have to admit Milwaukee got better, a little better, all the time. A painfully slow start (remember when the Bucks were down 21-8?) saw Toronto take control, ever so briefly. But Milwaukee proceeded to outscore Toronto by five, six, and then seven points in the final three quarters. Ridnour, of course, took the getting better theme to the extreme. He started 0-5 but buried a pair of hugely clutch three pointers late in the fourth quarter to boost the Bucks to victory and turn from scapegoat to mobbed hero.
• Pleading the fifth. They won without their top perimeter player (Redd) early this season, and now they've won without their top post player (Andrew Bogut). After looking lost and meek on both sides of the ball early, the Bucks broke through for a win for the first time in five tries playing without Bogut.
  

Three Bad

• Toronto's J's. The Raptors are top ten in two-point and three-point jump shooting accuracy. And really, it's no wonder that a team with a Jamario, Joey, Jose, Jason, Jermaine, and Jake can shoot the J. But it was a pair of B's (Bosh and Bargnani) who beautifully shot Toronto into a lead for most of the game. We lamented how Milwaukee lost while making half its shots against Charlotte on Saturday. This time, the Bucks prevailed despite the Raptors shooting 54.2 % overall and 42.9 % from deep. 
• Jefferson. Richard Jefferson clunked his way to 1-7 for 6/2/2 in probably his worst game as a Buck.
• Not seeing Joe Dunk. This back-and-forth contest didn't allow time for the first-round pick. After his fourth DNP in eight games, it looks we really do need to vote Alexander into the All-Star weekend contest if we hope to ever SeeJoeDunk, you know, a basketball, not that we have anything against oreos or anything.

Mike was one of the best last night. (via Yahoo)

Bucks (16-18, 7-13 road) @ Bobcats (11-22, 8-12 home)

Gametime: 6:00 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

Bucks: None.

Bobcats: Sean May (knee) is out. Raja Bell (groin) is questionable.

08/09 Series:

Nov. 22: Bucks 79 @Bobcats 74

Dec. 5: @Bucks 101 Bobcats 96

Jan. 2: @Bucks 103 Bobcats 75

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks Offense: 23rd (104.0 points/100 possessions) Defense: 6th (103.3) Pace: 12th (92.0)

Bobcats Offense: 27th (102.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 14th (105.7)  Pace:  29th (87.8)

Three points:

• Familiar foe. Charlotte continued its franchise-long habit of losing to the Bucks last night. A couple of last year's holdovers, Michael Redd (season-high 31 points) and Charlie Villanueva (27 points on 16 shots), carried Milwaukee to win number 14 in 17 games against the Bobcats all time.
• Sessions regressions? Ramon Sessions is shooting 1-6 for two points in 19 minutes in the last three games. He finished December averaging 16.1 minutes in the month, barely more than half as many as his 33.7 minutes per game in November. And he started January with a DNP. Luke Ridnour has been lighting it up of late, though he didn't set the court on fire last night. But Tyronn Lue (6 pts, 4 rebs, 2 ast, 0 turn in 21 mins) did a fine job backing up Ridnour against Charlotte. Ramon started the season as the Bucks' most consistent offensive player, scoring (hit for double figures in 16 of his first 17 games) and running the offense with guile. Yet he's played more than 22 minutes just once in over a month.
• In defense. The Bucks held an opponent under 90 points for the twelfth time this season. That's something they accomplished nine times all of last season. And Milwaukee is playing at a faster pace this year.

Coverage:

Queen City Hoops / Rufus on Fire

Ridnour is standing tall lately. (Morry Gash/AP)

Bobcats (11-21, 3-9 road) @ Bucks (15-18, 8-5 home)

Gametime: 7:35 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

Bobcats: Sean May (knee) is out. Raja Bell (groin) is questionable.

Bucks: None.

08/09 Series:

Nov. 22: Bucks 79 @Bobcats 74

Dec. 5: @Bucks 101 Bobcats 96

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bobcats Offense: 26th (103.1 points/100 possessions) Defense: 13th (105.1)  Pace:  28th (87.7)

Bucks Offense: 23rd (104.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 8th (103.9) Pace: 11th (92.6)

Three points:

• New-look 'Cats. Charlotte has a fresh, new look since the last time Milwaukee saw them less than a month ago. The Bobcats traded away three-point/slam dunk specialist Jason Richardson in exchange for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. Charlotte is 3-6 since the deal, but Boris Diaw has had some nice moments out of the Phoenix sun. In nine games with the Bobcats, the versatile Frenchman is averaging 15.0/8.1/4.9 and is hitting on 55.6 % of his long-range attempts. But he's also turning the ball over (3.9 TO) a ton and can't find his free-throw form (52.4 % from the line).
  
• Bobbing for wins. The Bucks are already 2-0 against the Bobcats this season and have a chance to double the fun by tomorrow night, with a home-and-home series to start the weekend. Milwaukee just loves to play the Charlotte; they are an incredible 13-3 against Charlotte all-time. And who could forget Yi Jianlian's near-perfect game against the Bobs just a shade over a year ago? The former Milwaukee forward dropped 29/10 with three steals on 14/17 shooting in his best game as a pro. Current first round rookie forward Joe Alexander doesn't appear primed for a similar breakout game -- he has three DNP's in last four -- but with Charlie Villanueva quiet of late, perhaps Scott Skiles will find a few minutes for Alexander to audition. Meanwhile, Charlotte rookie D.J. Augustin is averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 assists, earning him a place among the top five rookies in the latest Blogger MVP/ROY Rankings.
  
• Inside issues. The Bobcats (.542) and Bucks (.541) have the two worst team shooting percentages on inside shots in the NBA. Both teams attempt a lot of shots around the basket however, so they are middle-of-the-pack in scoring inside.

Coverage:

Queen City Hoops / Rufus on Fire

2008: When some amazement did happen. (via kleinco's creativity)

This was the first entry of 2008, a notes post that reflected on the team's brutal 45-point loss to the Pistons a couple nights earlier.

But that game happened in 2007. And this is all about 2008.

Here are the five games and five articles I most enjoyed authoring this past year:

Continue reading this post »

A backboard post-Carl Landry. (via DraftExpress)

Bucks (15-17, 7-12 road) @ Rockets (20-12, 10-4 home)

Gametime: 6:00 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

Bucks: None.

Rockets: Shane Battier (foot) is not expected to play.

08/09 Series:

Nov. 9: @Rockets 104 Bucks 88

Feb 2: Rockets 91 @Bucks 83

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks Offense: 23rd (104.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 8th (103.9)  Pace:  11th (92.6)

Rockets Offense: 10th (107.8 points/100 possessions) Defense: 5th (103.6) Pace: 23rd (90.2)

Three points:

• Landry/CV. Last season the main matchup was Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian. Now, the focus is on a different pair of big men: Carl Landry and Charlie Villanueva. Holiday season rumors swirled that Landry, a former standout at Milwaukee Vincent High School, could be a trade target of Milwaukee's, and CV is seemingly always on the tip of the trade talk tongue. If CV is perimter-oriented (62 % of his attempts are jumpers) then Landry plays in the paint (15 % of his attempts are slam dunks). In fact, Landry has as many dunks (32) as Yao Ming, and in 392 fewer minutes.
• Washed away. The Rockets are coming off an inexplicable 89-87 home loss on Monday to a Washington club missing Caron Butler. Antawn Jamison was also ailing, and the Wiz made just 1-11 (.091) from long range. But Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady shot 10-31 (.322) from the field and leading scorer Ron Artest (20 pts) coughed up the ball six times. Houston has actually dropped three of its past four, though the other losses (@Cleveland, @New Orleans) were a bit more understandable than the Washington loss.
  
• Two guards. Two of the most prolific scorers of the past half-dozen years match up at shooting guard, but neither Michael Redd nor Tracy McGrady have eclipsed 30 points this season. Redd hit for 30 in the first game of the year, and McGrady's season-high is also 30 points, which he notched back on Nov. 6. Granted, both players have been slowed by injury, but both Redd (18.9 ppg) and McGrady (15.8) are way down in scoring. Redd has averaged 21+ per game for five straight seasons and McGrady has averaged 21+ for eight straight years.

Coverage:

The Dream Shake / Houston Chronicle

The Milwaukee Bucks spent approximately 364 days to reach the pinnacle of 2008, a 100-98 win in San Antonio.

In a game that ran the emotional gamut from disbelief to relief, and from horror, uhh, to euphoria, the Bucks prevailed, giving them the 2-0 season-sweep of the Spurs.

Milwaukee watched its eight-point fourth quarter advantage melt into an 88-84 deficit, but cool customers (and the Three Bucks) called Luke Ridnour, Andrew Bogut, and Michael Redd ran off seven straight points to regain the lead.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 20 points but struggled to a 7-20 shooting night. Former Wisconsin standout Michael Finley (8-10, 4-5 on three-pointers for 20 points) was the real star for San Antonio.

Three Bucks

• Luke Ridnour. Luke juked and jived his way to nine fast points early in his sensational third quarter to give Milwaukee some slight separation. He also stuffed Parker, who then rolled his ankle going the other way, on a drive to the hoop. Before that, Ridnour bothered Parker into a technical. Honestly, Ridnour is playing his best ball since November of '06. He finished with a superfly 21/5/6 and two blocks.
  
• Andrew Bogut. Bogut threw down three dunks in the first period on his way to winning the individual and team matchup against Duncan and the Spurs. Drew brought first quarter fury, hitting 4/4 from the field for 8 points, two boards, and two assists. He was even better in the fourth quarter, reemerging with a pair of huge dunks before drawing a charge on Duncan and then calmly sinking two free throws to extend the lead to 97-93. Brilliant, all around. Bogut's fine line: 20/14/4 on 9/13 fg and three blocks.
  
• Michael Redd. Add extra-credit for degree of difficulty on field goal attempts, and Redd would have netted about 45 points tonight, but his real-life 25 will work. Mike's hundred-dollar shots usually only counted for two points at a time, but he piled up enough of those fadeaways to build a Bucks' lead the Spurs ultimately couldn't overcome. 25/10/4 without a turnover for Redd.
  

Three Numbers

• 68.4 % The Bucks put the awfully awful shooting performance against the Pistons behind them nicely by converting 13-19 (.684) field goals in the first quarter. The finished a pleasing, usually successful 41-80 (.512)
  
• 9. Andrew Bogut (9-13), Luke Ridnour (9-15), Michael Redd (9-19) each made nine shots from field for Milwaukee, while no Spur made that many.
  
• 3. The Spurs had three offensive rebounds combined. Bogut had four offensive boards himself. Tony Parker was the only Spur starter with a single offensive rebound. Thanks for the defensive glasswork, Bogut, Redd, Jefferson, Ridnour, and company.

Three Good

• The Principal. You wouldn't notice it from the box score, but Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6/1/2) was pretty profound. His early interior passing (he fed Bogut for two early dunks) was basketball beauty, if for nothing else, its simplicity. Luc really has a smooth, soothing effect on both ends of the court. Tonight he ignited the Aussie, who dunked early and dunked late. Call him the Principal, because he's royalty, and he's in command.
  
• Not a Lone Star. Three Bucks stepped up into starring roles in the Lone Star State. Parker/Ginobili is as good as it gets at guard. You know that, I know that, and rest assured, they know that too. Maybe that's why they were so obviously annoyed tonight while Ridnour/Redd outplayed them. The Bucks' starting backcourt duo played like the all-pro's that Parker and Ginobili are, scoring, passing, and rebounding. They had help down low too, where Bogut was superior to Duncan, as each of San Antonio's big three were outplayed all on the same night. That doesn't tend to happen.
  
• Rolling in the River City. The Bucks let the good times roll in the River City, improving to a delightful and/or incomprehensible 12-8 against the Spurs since the 1999-00 season. It's conceivable that the Spurs could be a number two seed in the playoffs and the Bucks a seven. Unfortunately they can't match up in the first round.

Three Bad

• Fourth quarter fright. The Bucks were up 99-95 with 16 seconds remaining and Michael Redd on the line for two free throws... And came thisclose to blowing the lead. Redd made one of two at the stripe, and then Roger Mason (yes, the same do-not-leave-Roger Mason-open-for-a-corner-three-at-the-end-of-the-game Roger Mason from the pregame notes) hit a corner three with nine seconds to go. 100-98. Then Richard Jefferson neglects to inbound the ball for 5+ seconds. Spurs ball. Finally, Duncan gets a good look at a running layup but misses.
  
• For three. San Antonio entered the game as the best three-point shooting team in the NBA and lived up to the label tonight. Whenever the Bucks tried take control, they were met by a Michael Finley or Bruce Bowen or Roger Mason three-pointer. San Antonio made 10-16 (.625) from beyond the arc.
  
• No easy encore. Step two on the Texas two-step is in Houston tomorrow evening, where the Rockets are 10-4.
  

It's Bogut/Duncan VIII (Morry Gash/AP)

Bucks (14-17, 6-12 road) @ Spurs (20-10, 12-5 home)

Gametime: 7:30 p.m. central time (FS Wisconsin)

Injuries:

Bucks: Charlie Bell (knee) is questionable.

Spurs: Fabricio Oberto (foot) is not expected to play.

08/09 Series:

Nov. 12: @Bucks 82 Spurs 78

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks Offense: 23rd (104.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 8th (103.9)  Pace:  11th (92.6)

Spurs Offense: 13th (107.4 points/100 possessions) Defense: 6th (103.8) Pace: 27th (88.6)

Three points:

• Shoot 'em up. San Antonio doesn't like to dunk. The Spurs have a mere 23 dunks this season, far and away last in the NBA. That's not even half as many as the next lowest, the Pacers with 58. San Antonio also ranks 29th in "and-ones" in the NBA with 52. This makes sense because they are largely a jump-shooting team. Only 26 % of San Antonio's attempts are inside shots, the second lowest percentage in the NBA. Beware though, because they are a very good jump-shooting team. Manu Ginoboli, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Bruce Bowen, and Ime Udoka are shooters. And do not -- I repeat do not -- leave Roger Mason (.469 from deep) open for a corner three. Just ask the Suns.
  
• The San Antone throne. I take you back to late at night on Wednesday, November 12, 2008, when all things Spursian were bleak. The proud team of the 2000's, an outfit which won 56+ games each year this decade, had fallen to 2-5 after shooting for 78 points in Milwaukee. Players called Anthony Tolliver and Jacque Vaughn roamed the Bradley Center for a full game's length combined. Now, just a smidgen over a month and a half later, San Antonio stands atop the best division in basketball at 20-10. Parker and Ginoboli are back. And the Spurs are scorching the West once again, winners of five straight and 11 of 13. Yes, the Bucks are historically wildly good against tonight's opponent. But no, these Spurs are decidedly not the same ones Milwaukee defeated earlier that on that night of Wednesday, November 12, 2008. While they aren't defending champs, Duncan/Parker/Ginoboli wear lots of National Basketball Association jewelry.
• Big battle. It's not as though they are always necessarily matched up on the court, but here is Andrew Bogut versus Tim Duncan, head-to-head:

Coverage:

Bucks.com / 48 Minutes of Hell / Pounding the Rock

  
 Luc and Luke. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Pistons (16-11, 7-6 road) @ Bucks (14-16, 8-4 home)

Gametime: 7:30 p.m. central time

Injuries:

Pistons: None.

Bucks: Malik Allen (ribs) and Charlie Bell (knee) are questionable.

08/09 Series:

Nov. 28: Pistons 107 Bucks 97

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Pistons: Offense: 15th (106.7 points/100 possessions) Defense: 17th (106.6)  Pace: 25th (89.3)

Bucks: Offense: 23rd (104.3 points/100 possessions) Defense: 8th (103.9) Pace: 11th  (92.6)

Three points:

• A December to remember. With a win, the Bucks will not only extend their overall winning streak to four games, they'll finish December with an unblemished 6-0 record at the Bradley Center. Milwaukee hasn't lost at home in almost a month; they fell to the Cavs 97-85 on Nov. 29. Forgive the Pistons if they aren't intimidated; they are a winning road team (7-6) and are perfect within the Central Division (5-0).
• On points. The Pistons needed late-game heroics from Allen Iverson to beat the Thunder 90-88 last night at The Palace. If you don't think that's very inspiring stuff coming from the Motor City, consider that Detroit has barely outscored its opponents this season. We've noted how Milwaukee's decent record has been more than deserved this year, but Detroit should feel very fortunate to boast a 16-11 record. The Pistons are +0.1 per game while the 14-16 Bucks are +0.3 per game. In fact, the Bucks have the sixth best per game point differential in the conference, the product of a lot of tight losses and some recent big wins. Milwaukee currently stands eighth in the East. Do you think the Bucks will make the playoffs? Vote.
• Ridnour's hour. Detroit is 13-9 since trading for Allen Iverson. The Nuggets are 17-10 since trading away Allen Iverson. In any event, we know very well that AI has had fun at the Bucks' expense in the Bradley Center before. He's averaging 29.6 per game against Milwaukee in his career, his second highest against any team. In Ramon Sessions, the Bucks have one of the best backup point guards in the world, and Luke Ridnour has been a major part of the team's resurgence of late. The starting point guard has these averages in Milwaukee's last three: 13.0 points, 8.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.6 steals. All wins, not surprisingly.

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Detroit Bad Boys / Need 4 Sheed / PistonsNationBlog / MLive.com

A clipper in the 1800's was a sleek and fast, efficient sailing ship. The Clippers tonight were slow, inefficient, and drowned 119-85 to the Bucks at the Bradley Center. As such, the Los Angeles Clippers fit its namesake about as well as the Los Angeles Lakers do: Not bloody well.

In a truly terrific trampling, the Bucks alliterated obliterated the Clippers thanks to a balanced team effort which saw eight players score in double figures and only one score more than 18. Richard Jefferson led the way with 22/9/5 and not one turnover. Zach Randolph and Baron Davis were muted with just 14 combined points on 4-20 from the field.

Three Bucks

• Luke Ridnour. Rather than match one of the world's preeminent players at his position, Ridnour easily outplayed a visibly and audibly frustrated Baron Davis. Milwaukee's starting point guard brilliantly directed a potent offense and had wonderful chemistry with everyone, particularly Andrew Bogut, whom he tossed a couple alley-oops to in the first half. Ridnour usually found the right person in the right place, and did so early in the shot clock. Plus, he was selective and efficient shooting (5-7 from the field and 7-7 from the line) the rock.
  
• Richard Jefferson.  RJ dazzled in Milwaukee's exceedingly quick start, shooting, slicing, and dunking his way to 4-4 from the field with four boards in the game's first six minutes, when the Bucks took control of the game for good. He finished with a pretty-looking and well-deserved 22/9/5 in a mere 21 minutes. Off-the-charts per-minute production, I say.
  
• Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. The pregame notes pointed out that while the Bucks have had good luck against opposing team's stars of late, Zach Randolph came into the BC with a streak of 11 games with at least 21 points. Tonight? He got to four -- and that was that. The Prince helped shut down one of the hottest players in the league, and he popped in 18 points, 9 rebounds, and a couple blocks.
  

Three Numbers

• 32. The Bucks displayed a magical passing touch tonight, piling up 32 assists and just 10 turnovers. Jefferson led all scorers and was involved a bit of everything, adding five dimes without a turnover. Ridnour dished out seven assists but each one seemed better than the one before. Charlie Bell didn't score a single point but added six assists.
• 44. The game probably wasn't even as close as the final score suggests -- and the final score suggests the game was a straight-up blowout. The game was absolutely settled with less than five minutes gone in the second quarter and Milwaukee up 43-19. And the Bucks boasted a 44-point advantage when they went up 108-64.
• 8.3 % L.A.'s two leading scorers, Zach Randolph and Baron Davis, combined to shoot 1-12 (.083) from the field in the first half. The Clippers hit 10-37 (.270) in the first. Meanwhile, Jefferson and Michael Redd dropped an 8-15 (.533) effort from the field and the home team made a silly 25-43 (.581). Teammates followed the lead of its two big scorers on each team early. That was as good for the Bucks as it was bad for the Clippers. Halftime score: 62-32.

Three Good

• Three or four more Bucks. Some nights it's tough to pick three Bucks worthy of singling out for good performances. Tonight was not one of those nights. Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, Dan Gadzuric, Mchael Redd, Joe Alexander, Ramon Sessions, etcetera, etcetera added to the Bucks' onslaught. Bogut totaled 12/8. CV hit a buzzer-beating three to give Milwaukee a 37-15 lead after one, threw down a nice slam, and even dropped a touch pass back to Dan Gadzuric, who was in the mood to run the fast break tonight. Not run on the fastbreak, like run the fastbreak. And rightfully so, as Gadz gathered three steals and almost a few more. Redd (a ridiculous +38 differential) continued his deferring ways with four assists and scored often early. Alexander was great with a couple of bigtime blocks late.
  
• Cream City. Milwaukee came off a big, 24-point win in which they outscored the Knicks in each quarter and followed that up with a bigger, 34-point win against the Clippers. These blowouts are foreign but fun territory for the Bucks. A team known for being on the wrong side of lopsided games last season, the Bucks are now getting some big wins after keeping losses close throughout the first couple months. All of a sudden creaming teams, the Bucks now have four 15+ point wins in a week.
• Bradley Center bullies. The Bucks made it four-for-four at home in December, and for good measure, at halftime, the BC crowd apparently set a Guinness world record for highest number of decibels. The Bucks are home not only for the holidays, but for 30 more games this year, making three games below .500 not seem like such a deep hole, even in an improved Eastern Conference. 
  

Three Bad

• Clippers have the basketball blues. This is good for the Bucks, but bad for basketball. Adorned in sharp, blue road jerseys, the Clippers couldn't shoot (28-81 field goals), pass (18 assists, 16 turnovers), or defend (119 points allowed, two blocks).
• Threes mean no four. Thanks largely to Steve Novak's three triples in the last 3:39 of the game, the Clippers outscored the Bucks 27-26, preventing the Bucks from putscoring its opponent in all four quarter for two straight games. Mardy Collins made a three with 16 seconds left to really mess up the eight great quarters.
  
• A real thorn. Al Thornton swooped under the hoop for an authoritative and-one dunk and stuffed RJ on a dunk attempt in the third quarter. Thornton scored 20 points for the Clips and more importantly was uniquely alive.