Back on track.
It won't go down as one of their best games of the season--please avert your eyes from those 21 turnovers--but the Bucks did what they had to against a shorthanded Wizards team on Friday, improving to 2-0 on the road and 4-1 for the season ahead of their matchup tonight with the Celtics in Milwaukee. All those turnovers helped both teams rack up 24 fastbreak points, but the Bucks shot more consistently over the course of the night (51% vs. 44% fg) and pulled away late to escape with another win. Things got a bit testy in the final minute with ejections for both Bradley Beal (22 points and a flagrant foul on Ellis) and Brandon Jennings (a friendly shove on Beal in the aftermath), but it didn't seem like anything that should result in further suspensions.
As usual, the Bucks' bench was the real difference for much of the night, outscoring Washington's reserves 49-20 behind (surprise!) 13 points and nine boards apiece from Mike Dunleavy and Larry Sanders. The starters also held their own for the most part, erasing an early 12-0 run behind Monta Ellis' 22 points (8/15 fg), five dimes and five boards, while Jennings was content to defer to his teammates in taking just nine shots (5/9 fg, 13 points, 7 ast). Ersan Ilyasova also showed some early life before fading over the final three quarters, while Ellis and Jennings were a bit sloppy in racking up six turnovers each. And so it goes.
Stats: Box Score | B-R Advanced Box | Play-by-Play | Popcorn Machine | HoopData
Recaps: Brew Hoop | Bucksketball | Behind the Buck Pass | JS | FS Wisconsin | Bullets Forever
News: Alex Boeder: Bucks on the rebound | Video: Jennings and Beal Ejected | BHTBP: Does Udoh's inability to rebound matter? | Bullets Forever: Beal's breakout game ends poorly | JS: Bucks unhappy with Beal's foul | Bucksketball: Gooden healthy...and inactive