By Jake McCormick
The venue was different, but the Milwaukee Bucks‘ song remained the same in their second loss to the New Orleans Hornets in 2010.
A night after recording their first road win of the season, without center Andrew Bogut, the Bucks continued their early season offensive struggles against the undefeated Hornets. But Milwaukee was able to keep the 87-81 loss close enough to magnify the multiple failed offensive possessions that superseded their successful defensive efforts.
First quarter
NFL analysts love to call football a game of inches, but the Milwaukee Bucks made a pretty strong case for basketball’s inclusion into that category during the first quarter. At least two or three times there was a cutting Corey Maggette or Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. But more often than not they either mishandled the pass or found themselves chasing after an easy Chris Paul lay-up that should’ve just as easily been two points had the pass been a few inches closer to catchable.
Highlight: In the first four minutes of the quarter, Andrew Bogut tallied six points within five feet of the basket on a combination of hook shots and an up and under lay-up. That was just a microcosm of Milwaukee’s ability to get high percentage shots, as 12 of the team’s 18 total first quarter points were in the paint.
Second quarter
The 41-35 halftime lead for the New Orleans Hornets was a bit misleading, as Marco Belinelli hit a beyond half court prayer at the buzzer. The Bucks’ bench was a big strength against the Indiana Pacers Friday night, and they came through when needed again Saturday in the second quarter. Corey Maggette, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, and Keyon Dooling combined for 12 of the Bucks’ 17 points.
Highlight: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s baseline jumper certainly didn’t ellicit the same amount of cheers as Corey Maggette’s two three point plays (tying him for most in the league this year with eight) or Ersan Ilyasova’s thunderous drive and dunk, but Mbah a Moute and his three offensive rebounds (four total for the quarter) were a major catalyst for the Bucks’ offense.
Third quarter
The Milwaukee Bucks played most of the third quarter without Brandon Jennings, but it’s doubtful he would’ve had much of an impact. Hornets forward David West led all scorers with 10 points, and the Bucks failed to get anything going offensively on their way to a familiar 36% shooting clip. It really was 12 minutes of David West at his best, overpowering anyone the Bucks decided to put on him. New Orleans also went 8-10 on free throws, which accounted for a third of the Hornets total points for the quarter. It also didn’t help that the Bucks’ only proven three point threat, Carlos Delfino, left the game with a strained neck.
Highlight: Andrew Bogut started taking the ball up court with five second left in the quarter, only to have Jason Smith swat the ball away and pass it back to David West for an easy bucket. West was 5-5 in the third quarter, and was the only Hornets player to score more than one basket from the floor. This was just one of many examples of the Bucks failing to convert a successful defensive possession into points on the other end.
Fourth quarter
Despite Milwaukee’s lack of a perimeter threat and general offensive rhythm, the Bucks opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to keep the game within one basket. Brandon Jennings contributed five points to the run, while John Salmons added four points. After going 1-8 in the first three quarters, Salmons led the Bucks with 11 fourth quarter points and played with the aggression and urgency he showed in putting up 23 points against Indiana Friday night.
Highlight: Drew Gooden and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute missed three combined late-game free throws that would’ve kept the game within one possession of a tie, but when Chris Paul wants to keep a game out of reach, he typically does so with ease. Paul turned on the jets late in the fourth, scoring six points in the paint in the last five minutes.
Despite shooting 38.6% (25% on three pointers) thanks to a hesitant offense that was unable to captalize off many open looks, Milwaukee still forced the game to go down to the wire. That’s far from the victory the 2-5 Bucks expect at the Bradley Center, but it is a sign that the team can hang around with the NBA‘s best even when they aren’t playing up to their full potential.
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