Game Thread, Magic at Bucks, Dec 12, 2007, BC 7:00 FSN
Will the Bucks be able to handle this?
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Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (8-12) vs. Orlando Magic (16-6).
When: 7 tonight.
Where: Bradley Center.
Broadcasts: TV - FSN Wisconsin cable. Radio - AM-620.
About the Magic: For the first time this season, they've lost two straight games, as they fell to Atlanta Monday night and to Indiana two nights before that. Both losses came at home, where Orlando is 5-4. Orlando, though, boasts the best road record in the league (11-2). Against Atlanta, the Magic committed 19 turnovers and shot a season-low 39.7%. Orlando had 24 turnovers against Indiana.
PLAYER TO WATCH
DWIGHT HOWARD, Magic
The league's rebounding leader grabbed 18 against Atlanta but has been having problems with turnovers. Teams have been collapsing more on more on Howard when he catches the ball in the low post. He has been working closely with assistant coach Patrick Ewing to find out ways that Howard can cut down on his turnovers. He had 35 turnovers in the last six games.
LINEUPS
PROBABLE MAGIC STARTERS
Player Ht. From
G-Jameer Nelson 6-0 St. Joseph's
G-Keith Bogans 6-4 Kentucky
F-Rashard Lewis 6-10 Alief, Texas
F-Hedo Turkoglu 6-10 Turkey
C-Dwight Howard 6-11 Atlanta
Coach: Stan Van Gundy (first season; fourth overall, 128-79).
Injury report: Tony Battie (left shoulder) is out.
PROBABLE BUCKS STARTERS
Player Ht. From
G-Mo Williams 6-1 Alabama
G-Michael Redd 6-6 Ohio State
F-Desmond Mason 6-5 Oklahoma State
F-Yi Jianlian 7-0 China
C-Andrew Bogut 7-0 Utah
Coach: Larry Krystkowiak (second season, 13-25).
Injury report: Michael Ruffin (left wrist) and David Noel (wrist) are out.
THE SERIES
The Magic beat the Bucks, 102-83, on opening night in Orlando. The Magic won three of four games against the Bucks last season.
NUMBERS GAME
5-0 Orlando's road record against the East.
12-22 Orlando's three-point shooting in a victory over Milwaukee on opening night.
7 Howard's blocks against Milwaukee on opening night.
Re: Game Thread, Magic at Bucks, Dec 12, 2007, BC 7:00 FSN
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Originally Posted by MRedd22
Redd 1 assist away from a triple double. I'm not sure what was more surprising, that or the win.
When Redd's assists are up, the team tends to win. His assits were down on the West Coast trip. When he and Mo are dishing more, it generally means less silly three point shot attempts, so better shots taken.
They did scare me letting the Magic go on a 12-0 run.
Re: Game Thread, Magic at Bucks, Dec 12, 2007, BC 7:00 FSN
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PLAYER OF THE GAME: Michael Redd came up one assist short of a triple-double, a fact his teammates were well-aware of in the closing minutes. "Charlie Bell missed a shot," said guard Mo Williams. "Well, I did, too, but we're not going to say that."
PLAY OF THE GAME: Late in the third quarter, Bucks center Jake Voskuhl saved the ball from going out of bounds under the Bucks basket with a two-handed, over-the-shoulder, back-to-the-court pass to Bell, who fed Redd for a three-pointer and a 65-52 Bucks' lead.
OFF THE BENCH: Forward Charlie Villanueva, bothered by a case of food poisoning, was limited to five minutes of playing time.
STATISTICS SHEET: The Bucks made 13 of 19 shots in the first quarter (68.4%) with nine assists. Yi Jianlian made all four of his shots, Andrew Bogut made all three of his shots and Williams had five assists
Re: Game Thread, Magic at Bucks, Dec 12, 2007, BC 7:00 FSN
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It was a good box score night for a number of the Bucks, as rookie Yi Jianlian made his first five shots and finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Williams finished with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and sank two pressure-packed free throws with 9.6 seconds left that gave the Bucks 100 points and the fans a free hamburger.
Charlie Bell showed signs that his game may be coming together as he scored 13 points and played the entire fourth quarter. Center Andrew Bogut had 11 points and nine rebounds and did a nice defensive job on Orlando center Dwight Howard, who finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
"Andrew did a good job without us double-teaming in the post," Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak said.
Rashard Lewis led a fourth-quarter Magic rally, sank 6 three-pointers and finished with 20 points.
Going into this season, Redd said he wanted his rebound and assists totals to increase, and he succeeded in that regard Wednesday.
"Tonight, my teammates did a great job of finishing plays and knocking down shots," said Redd. "It was a team effort tonight. But I was determined that I was going to lead the charge and just find everybody. Don't worry about scoring. . . rebounds and get assists. That's it. If I keep playing like that and be unselfish (the triple-double) will eventually come. That's my goal this year. My goal coming into the season was to get triple-doubles."
The Bucks got off to a great start, making 14 of their first 20 shots and jumping out to a 34-20 lead early in the second quarter. The Bucks led by 17 late in the second quarter and, shooting 53.8%, were in front at halftime, 53-40.
The first time Yi Jianlian faced the Orlando Magic, he was making his debut in the National Basketball Association.
The Bucks' 7-foot power forward had nine points and fouled out in 25 minutes that night as the Magic cruised to a 102-83 victory in central Florida.
On Wednesday, Yi's education continued, but this time he had more to show the Magic. Yi finished with 18 points, one off his NBA-best total set Nov. 9 against Houston. He was 7 for 11 from the field while adding seven rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.
Oh, yeah. And he committed just one foul, even though he spent some time guarding high-scoring Magic forward Rashard Lewis.
Yi played a key role in the Bucks' strong start, as they built a 17-point lead late in the first half, en route to a 100-86 victory over the Magic at the Bradley Center. He was 4 for 4 from the field and had 10 points in the first quarter.
"They did a good job exploiting," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. "We were trying to trap Michael Redd, get him off the ball a little bit.
"I give him (Redd) credit because he didn't force the issue. He was able to make the simple pass, and Yi knocked down the jump shots and forced us to get out of that defense and make a little bit of an adjustment."
Yi got started with a move into the lane and a short left-handed shot, and he followed moments later with a tip-in. Then he hit his next three shots, all jumpers, and was 5 for 5 early in the second quarter as the Bucks grabbed a 34-20 lead.
Game Thread, Magic at Bucks, Dec 12, 2007, BC 7:00 FSN
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