The BMO Harris Bradley Center can still get loud when it wants to.
And it was about as loud as it's been all season when O.J. Mayo hit a highly-contested isolation three with less than seven seconds left in regulation to tie the Bucks and Wizards at 87. John Wall tried to send Washington home early, but his driving lefty scoop did not drop and we were graced with free basketball.
The extra session gave fans less reason to roar. The Wizards took the lead for good with three and a half minutes remaining and closed out the Bucks 100-92, extending Milwaukee's losing skid to ten games and an Eastern Conference worst 2-12.
Three Bucks
Brandon Knight. Bless your soul, Brandon. Knight was again aggressive most of the night, making a few physical drives earlier in the game and playing tough initial defense on Wall. Late in the game, however, that stereotypical Brandon we all were well aware of came charging out of the depths within and possessed him like some sort of demon. With the Bucks trying to hold on to an 84-81 lead, Knight went turnover-turnover-near turnover to wild and sad shot late in the fourth. Knight didn't see the floor in overtime with what may have been a re-aggravation of his hamstring injury, and I genuinely hope he has a relaxing Thanksgiving. I mean..sheeesh, he completely melted down there.
Side-tangent: Can one be allowed to feel bad for Knight on a night like tonight? I know this is his scouting report acted out in front of us, but good lord he just dissolved down the stretch, painfully so. I know it's also hard to get the feels for a million dollar athlete, but I just wanted to run out there and hug him and tell him it was going to be okay.
No? Just me? Okay.
Ersan Ilyasova made 6-7 shots and grabbed six rebounds in a team-high 39 minutes of play. Normally him shooting that few of times would be a relative cause for concern, but I can't remember him shooting more than twice. So, I guess that's good-ish? I don't know, it's confusing. He shot well though, after struggling a little bit in his early return from injury. Maybe there won't be a slow start after all.
O.J. Mayo, clutch threes aside, had 21 points on 23 shots tonight, making only nine of them. It's no secret he's the guy when it comes to who is going to score the ball consistently, but that shot total is a little too high for such average results. He did snag seven rebounds, though. It's good to see activity on that end from these guys, as that's been called to question of late.
Three Numbers
24. The Bucks had a season high in turnovers tonight, and quite honestly, if that number is lower, the Bucks absolutely win this game. That seems like an obvious fix, but for this game it really rings true. The Bucks had numerous chances to hammer in nails in the Wizards' coffin, but instead they took to the Thanksgiving spirit and loaned the nails to the Wizards who, in turn, put those same nails in the Bucks' coffin.
15. That is a discouraging minute load for John Henson, who notched five points, five rebounds, two assists, and the only block on the team in that short amount of time. Henson struggled with the pick-and-roll on the defensive end of the court and didn't play overwhelmingly better than anyone on the court, but less than half a game of action isn't going to sit well with people begging for more Henson burn.
10. Like I have said in previous recaps, if the Bucks want to give themselves a good chance of maintaining leads or staying in close games, they have to find ways to get easy baskets (ie push the ball in transition) and free points at the foul line. Tonight the Bucks only managed 10 free throw attempts, making eight of them--or half the Wizards' total (16/22). Yes, they shoot lots of threes, but 10 attempts doesn't help your cause very often. Especially when you are shooting 43.5 percent from the field.
Notes
- This was the Bucks second overtime game of the season, the other being the disappointing Sixers comeback loss (victory?) last Friday.
- Wizards' center Marcin Gorat started the game 9-9 from the field. He finished with 25 points, his first 20 point game of the season. Of course it was.
- For better or worse, at least this game wasn't a blowout. This is the first Bucks game all season that neither team has held a double-digit lead the entire game.
- Khris Middleton has scored in double digits in three straight games and in six of his last eight.
- This is the sixth 10+ game losing streak in franchise history. The club's longest losing streak was a 15 gamer during the 1995-1996 campaign.
Next Up
The Bucks travel to Charlotte for a rematch against the Bobcats Friday and quickly return home for a bottom-dweller battle against the Boston Celtics Saturday. There is nothing tomorrow because it's Thanksgiving! Safe travels and enjoy your tryptophan-induced super-naps!!