Bucks shake off slow start; cruise to easy victory

The Milwaukee Bucks needed a confidence booster, and a game against the lowly New Jersey Nets seemed to be a good way to get one. But the Nets wouldn’t just hand a win to the Bucks, and scored the game’s first 8 points to get off to a hot start. While they’re opponents started out on fire, the Bucks play was absolutely ice cold, as they missed their first 7 shots of the game. But alas, it was not meant to be for the Nets, as they were plagued by turnovers and by the end of the first half, they were trailing by 11.

The Bucks didn’t let up in the second half, as they pulled farther and farther away from New Jersey. A huge reason for Milwaukee’s second half success was Andrew Bogut, who scored 12 points in the third quarter. Another contribution to the Bucks’ victory was their dominance in the paint, as they outscored the Nets 44- 16 in that regard.

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The biggest lead of the game came in the 4th, where a Carlos Delfino three-pointer put Milwaukee up by 24 points. When the buzzer sounded, the scoreboard was showing a 98-76 Bucks victory. A much needed one at that. Bogut lead all Bucks in scoring with 18 points, and Delfino added another 17. Milwaukee shot 45.6% from the field as a team, better than the Nets’ 37.9%.

Losing games is nothing new to the Nets. They have the NBA’s worst record at 3-31. Unless they turn things around, New Jersey could end up with one of the worst records in NBA history. They ended their seven-game home stand at a dismal 1-6, and they will now play 7 of their next 9 games on the road, where they have a mere 1 win all season. One of the few bright spots for New Jersey was Yi Jianlian’s good performance. Yi led all players with 22 points, and got a little payback on the team that traded him last year.

For the Bucks, this win couldn’t have come at a better time. They were playing poorly, with a 2-7 record in their previous 9 games and a three-game road losing streak coming into the game. Milwaukee is hoping to turn the season around. They looked to have a shot at making the playoffs early on, and they even were leading their division at one point. Poor play in recent weeks has them sitting at a mediocre 14-18. While they still hold the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, there’s still a lot of improvement needed before they’re ready to compete in the playoffs.

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By: Zach Rastall
ProBasketball-fans.com Milwaukee Bucks Correspondent

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