Game Thread: Bucks/Spurs

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