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

Raps (14-20, 7-11 road) @ (Bucks (16-19, 9-5 home)

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

Injuries:

Bucks: Andrew Bogut is day-to-day with back spasms.  Malik Allen missed Saturday's game with a lower back injury.

Raps: Jermaine O'Neal (right knee) is a game-time decision while Jose Calderon (hamstring) is day-to-day.

08/09 Series:

Nov 2: Raps 91, @Bucks 87

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks Offense: 23rd (104.0 points/100 possessions) Defense: 5th (103.6) Pace: 13th (92.0)

Raptors Offense: 17th (105.9 points/100 possessions) Defense: 23rd (109.2)  Pace:  18th (90.7)

Three points:

• Who's on first?  Both teams could be missing key pieces tonight, as Andrew Bogut missed Saturday's game with back spasms and the Raps beat Orlando 108-102 while missing both Jose Calderon and Jermaine O'Neal.  Will Solomon and Roko Ukic (9/14, 23 pts, 11 assists combined) were excellent filling in for Calderon, while Bargnani has been greatly improved in the three games he has started in O'Neal's absence (21 ppg in that span).  Either way, the starting lineups could look very different by tipoff.
  
• Bogut's back.  The Bucks are 0-4 without Bogut this season and 16-15 with him, so naturally we'll be paying close attention to the big fella's injury status--he's become the Bucks most indispensable player.  The good news is that Bogut doesn't consider the injury serious but it's the same one he thought he had put behind him.  If Bogut does play he'll likely have an interesting matchup against Bargnani, who can be bullied on the block but will draw defenders to the perimeter on offense--not exactly where Bogut wants to be playing.  Bogut has at times matched up with Bosh as well, though he typically has to concede open jumpers given Bosh superior quicness from the face-up. 
  
  Whether or not Bogut plays we'll probably see some interesting matchups here, as the Bucks could go small (Luc, CV) and hope Bargnani is unable to take advantage of his height in the post.  Mbah a Moute had some success guarding Bosh in the late-going of the team's first matchup, so it will be interesting to see how he handles Bosh this time around. 
  
• Boards and Bombs.  The Bucks can't shoot but rank fourth in both offensive (29.5%) and total rebounding percentage (52.0%), while the Raptors are second to last in both categories.  The Raps' usual prolific three point shooting is down slightly this year, as they rank just 17th in threes per game (6.4) but still manage a respectable 8th in 3fg% (38%).  Calderon (.458), Parker (.426), and Kapono (.438) are still all draining threes at excellent rates, though yesterday Parker managed to score 26 points on a sizzling  13/16 fg without attempting a single three.
  

Coverage:

Raptors HQ / Raptors Republic / Doug Smith / RaptorBlog / DinoNation

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

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

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

Jazz (17-12, 7-8 road) @ Bucks (13-16, 7-4 home)

Gametime: 7:00 p.m. central time

Injuries:

Jazz: Carlos Boozer (quadriceps) and Jarron Collins (elbow) are out.  Deron Williams (calf) is probable.

Bucks: Malik Allen (ribs) is questionable.

08/09 Series:

Nov : @Jazz 105, Bucks 94

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Jazz: Offense: 8th (108.2 points/100 possessions) Defense: 11th (104.7)  Pace: 14th (92.0)

Bucks: Offense: 21st (104.5 points/100 possessions) Defense: 8th (104.4) Pace: 12th  (92.5)

Three points:

• Bogut's back. Unfortunately that's a reference to the big fella's body, not his metaphorical return to prominence.  As detailed on his blog, Bogut is once again playing with pain after waking up sore in Philadelphia:

  Once we got to shoot around I started to stretch as I usually do when I get tight from a hotel bed or what not, but it did nothing. I ended up taking some pills for it to relieve the pain and tried to lie down the whole afternoon before the game once we were done with shoot around. End s up a couple of my vertebrae got stuck, and still are as I’m writing this. This basically tightens up all the muscles in your lower back, gluteus and hip, which is what I’m experiencing. I cannot stand it, I feel like I’m 100 years old at the moment. I’ve been getting treatment for it every day, mainly Chiropractic. I was lucky enough to be able to play through the last 3 games with it, mainly because our trainers did a great job of getting me warm and loose enough to go out there and perform, oh along with some sort of magic pain pill which works wonders. The only problem is waking up the next morning and needing a wheel chair for the first hour or two.

• Millsap vs. Boozer.  There's all sorts of speculation lately in Utah about the future of all-star Carlos Boozer, who has been out since tearing a quad muscle against the Bucks on November 19.  Boozer's been long-rumored to have a move to Miami on his mind, and said last week he will opt out of his $12.3 million option for 09/10 to become a free agent this summer.  Or maybe he didn't actually say it.  Either way, the Jazz will need to decide soon whether to deal Boozer and commit to soon-to-be-RFA Paul Millsap, who's done just about everything since stepping in as Boozer's replacement and is due a hefty raise next summer from the 800 grand he's currently pulling in.  As a starter Millsap is putting up 18.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg on .565 shooting from the field.  Oh, and he's notched 15 straight double-doubles.  Yeah, he could be popular next summer.
• D-Will.  The Bucks couldn't take advantage of Deron Williams' absence when the teams met last month in Utah, but they won't have that luxury this time around.  Williams sat out Monday's practice with a calf injury but is expected to start in Milwaukee tonight.  Having struggled through a nagging ankle injury, Williams hasn't put up the monster numbers we're used to seeing from him thus far.  But you know you're good when 14.3 ppg and 9.8 apg is considered a disappointment.

Coverage:

Bucks.comm / SLC Dunk / True Blue Jazz / All That Jazz

 Clipperland two decades ago. (via jackgallagher.com)

Clippers (8-18, 5-8 road) @ Bucks (12-16, 6-4 home)

Gametime: 7:30 p.m. central time

Injuries:

Clippers: Ricky Davis (knee) and Chris Kaman (foot) are out. Mike Taylor (thumb) left the team's game last night with a broken thumb.

Bucks: Malik Allen (ribs) is questionable.

07/08 Series:

Dec. 4: Bucks 87 @Clippers 78

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Clippers: Offense: 29th (101.0 points/100 possessions) Defense: 13th (105.5)  Pace: 12th (92.3)

Bucks: Offense: 23rd (103.9 points/100 possessions) Defense: 11th (105.1) Pace: 13th  (92.2)

Three points:

• Zach attack. Last year it was rumored that Zach Randolph might be traded to the Bucks. That never materialized, and the Knicks instead dealt the former Michigan St. star to the Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley about a month ago. Mbah a Moute and the Bucks have slowed opposing stars lately, but Randolph has hit for 21+ points in eleven straight games for the Clippers and he's coming off a 34/16/4 (with 6 turnovers) night against Indiana. 
• Games galore. It's the second game of back-to-backs for both teams, but the Clip-show is probably a bit more fatigued. Los Angeles triumphed 117-109 in double-overtime against the Pacers last night. All five Clipper starters played 48+ minutes in the game. And this marks the Clippers' fourth game in five nights. Then again, no team in the NBA has played more games (28) than the Bucks.
  
• Second-string struggles. L.A.'s bench contributed a miniscule five points out of 117 against Indy, and the Clippers rank last in the NBA with 18.4 points per game from its reserves. It certainly doesn't help that Chris Kaman and Ricky Davis are injured. That has opened up minutes for guys like Mardy Collins and Brian Skinner. L.A. does have former Marquette sharpshooter Steve Novak, but he hasn't scored in a few weeks despite the depleted bench.

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Clips Nation / ClipperBlog / L.A. Times

VIllanueva flies back to his birthplace, New York. (via Streetball)

Bucks (11-16, 5-12 road) @ Knicks (11-14, 7-4 home)

Gametime: 6:35 p.m. central time

Injuries:

Bucks: Malik Allen (ribs) is questionable.

Knicks: Danilo Gallinari (back) is out. and Eddy Curry (knee) are out. Jared Jeffries (leg) is questionable.

07/08 Series:

Nov. 2: Bucks 94 @Knicks 86

Nov. 21: @Bucks 104 Knicks 87

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks: Offense: 24th (103.6 points/100 possessions) Defense: 12th (105.9)  Pace:  12th (92.1)

Knicks: Offense: 18th (106.4 points/100 possessions) Defense: 21st (108.4) Pace: 1st  (98.5)

Three points:

• One-third are threes. The Knicks are the only team in the NBA which attempt more three-pointers than two-point jump shots. 33 % of the New York's field goal attempts are three-pointers, the highest rate in the NBA. Only 30 % of the team's shots are two-point jump shots, the lowest mark of all. Jamal Crawford is gone, but Al Harrington, Quentin Richardson (made 5-11 in the first matchup this season), and Nate Robinson love thy three-ball.
• A Stephon sighting. Stephon Marbury has lots time and money. So, while a flagging economy has some arenas showing more seats than people in the stands, the Knicks played to a packed Staples Center on Tuesday -- and with a familiar face in the crowd. Marbury got his money's worth too, as the Knicks gamely battled the Lakers before falling 116-114. That's a far stronger showing than the Bucks managed against L.A.'s finest a week and a half ago. Lost in the Stephon-storyline was that Marbury certainly wasn't the only one watching; The Knicks led late in Los Angeles despite using just seven players. Nate Robinson led all scorers with 33 off the bench.
• Same/difference. The Bucks are 11-16, the same record as they had through 27 games last year. For myriad reasons, this season feels a lot better. I don't foresee Milwaukee losing to the Pistons by 46 points or something in late-December this time around.
  

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Posting and Toasting / Knickerblogger