| 2009/2010 NBA Season | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| 22-18 (12-5 home) |
vs. |
16-21 (5-15 road) |
| January 18, 2010 | ||
| Toyota Center |
||
| 2:00 PM | ||
|
Radio: WTMJ AM 620 TV: FSN Wisconsin |
||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Aaron Brooks |
PG |
Brandon Jennings |
|
Trevor Ariza |
SG |
Charlie Bell |
|
Shane Battier |
SF |
Luc Mbah a Moute |
|
Luis Scola |
PF |
Ersan Ilyasova |
|
Chuck Hayes |
C |
Andrew Bogut |
| (15th) 106.9 - OFFENSE - 102.4 (25th) |
||
| (15th) 106.6 - DEFENSE - 103.9 (7th) |
||
| (13th) 93.3 - PACE - 93.8 (8th) |
||
Linkage
The Dream Shake / Houston Chronicle / Clutch Fans / Red 94
Southwest, the best.
The Bucks appear to end a five-season streak of last place finishes in the Central until I just jinxed them. Anyway, they currently sit third in the division at 16-22, three games ahead of the last-place Pacers. Milwaukee is currently two games behind Chicago for the last playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the 22-18 Rockets are also third in their division. Though they are just half a game in front of co-last-place New Orleans and Memphis. The Southwest Division is absolutely, positively, sinfully, unreasonably good. The Rockets are tied for the final playoff spot in the West.
Hayes' days at Center.
The Rockets haven't suffered injuries to the same extent as recent opponents Portland and Golden State, but they are missing one gigantically sized and talented player: Yao. In his stead starting at center? Chuck Hayes, standing 6"6". I mean, Carlos Delfino is 6"6". And he thinks he is a point guard! Nice game against Utah though.
Hayes has performed quite admirably out of position, even registering this line last week in a triple-overtime win over Minnesota: 50 minutes, 5-6 shooting, 10 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks. My.
I don't think there is any particular reason to think that Andrew Bogut is primed for a big night. The Rockets throw a lot of smart, strong defensive players into the paint along with Hayes, including Milwaukee native Carl Landry.
Some of Bogut's best offensive games this season have come against Joakim Noah, David Lee, Roy Hibbert, Joel Przybilla, Kendrick Perkins, Mikki Moore, Brook Lopez, and Nene Hilario. Quite a mix there, including some guys with serious defensive reputations. 'Drew's offensive success, like most, is based a lot more on him than on who is guarding him.
Middlemen.
The Rockets are 15th in offensive efficiency and 15th in defensive efficiency. Houston's has scored nine more points than its opponents for the entire year, 4025 to 4016. Only the Grizzlies, who have been outscored by three points overall (4044-4047) are more "average" in this respect. Based on those numbers, both teams should feel fortunate be a few games above .500.
Stack'd.
We'll have more on this, but the Bucks are set to sign Jerry Stackhouse. Can't make up these things. He is expected to join the team early this week after the team returns home.
FanPost: The Bucks and Losing the Free Throw Battle
The numbers are not pretty, they are "historically bad." Thanks to TheJay for number-crunching.