Bucks-Pistons Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jan 28 2013 5:02PM

Brandon Jennings has made a habit of starting slow and finishing strong recently, but Milwaukee Bucks interim coach Jim Boylan would like to see him be more aggressive throughout an entire contest.

The guard hasn't done much at any point in games against the Detroit Pistons this season.

Visiting Milwaukee seeks its first victory in three matchups with Detroit as the Central Division rivals meet Tuesday night.

Jennings has gone scoreless in the first half in each of Milwaukee's last two games, missing all six field-goal attempts. He's turned it up in the last 24 minutes, though, attempting 14 second-half shots in each game.

He finished with 14 points in a 113-108 loss at Cleveland on Friday, then scored 20 to key a surge for the Bucks (23-17) in their 109-102 win over Golden State on Saturday.

Jennings has averaged 16.3 points in the second half of his last four games compared to 6.0 in the first. He's attempted fewer than half the amount of field goals in the first half (23) than the second (48) in that span.

"He's a competitor," Boylan said after Saturday's contest. "He was trying to move the ball a little bit in the first half, but we needed him to score. He came out in the second half and did what we needed him to do for our team, and that's what he's done for us all year. That's what we expect from him."

Jennings has averaged 8.5 assists in the past four games after averaging 5.3 over his previous 36.

"Once I get it going, I get it going. I think it fed off to my teammates," Jennings said.

He hasn't gotten much going versus Detroit this season, scoring 24 total points while shooting 32.0 percent as Milwaukee has dropped both meetings. He averaged 23.3 points while hitting 51.5 percent from the field in his previous six against the Pistons.

Detroit, winner of three of four versus the Bucks, is coming off a 104-102 victory over Orlando on Sunday. The Pistons had dropped the first two on their three-game trip.

"In this league (things can go from) good to bad, bad to good very quickly. It's the NBA," coach Lawrence Frank said. "You just have to stay the course and just keep working."

Brandon Knight finished with a career-high 31 points and reserve Will Bynum added a career-best 12 assists for the Pistons (17-27).

"You always want to go home on a win although we know we let a couple games (during road trip) slip away before that," Knight said.

Despite being 10 games under .500, Detroit is only four behind Boston for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

"Every game is a must-win game for us from this point on if we want to have a shot at trying to make the playoffs," said forward Tayshaun Prince, shooting 34.2 percent over his last four. "We have to continue to take one game at a time."

Prince hit two free throws with 11 seconds remaining and scored a team-high 20 points to help Detroit overcome 30 from Monta Ellis in a 96-94 win over Milwaukee on Dec. 30.

Greg Monroe scored 26 points and added 11 rebounds in the Pistons' 103-87 win over the Bucks on Jan. 11.

Boylan is 7-3 since taking over for Scott Skiles.

Jennings scores 30 as Bucks beat Pistons, 117-90

Posted Jan 29 2013 11:47PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) After Milwaukee's reserves helped turn things around, Brandon Jennings turned the game into a rout.

Jennings scored 20 of his 30 points in the third quarter as the Bucks cruised to a 117-90 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Mike Dunleavy had 17 points and Monta Ellis added 14 for the Bucks, who rallied from a 15-point first-quarter deficit to take a 10-point lead at halftime. The Milwaukee reserves outscored Detroit's 59-41, including 28-10 in the key second quarter.

"We got a ton of energy from our second unit to help us get back into the game - that really set the tone and got everybody's blood going a little," Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan said. "And then Brandon came out and what can you say about that third quarter? Just `wow'."

Jennings, considered a possibility to replace injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo at the All-Star game, certainly didn't hurt his chances against Detroit. At one stretch in the third period, he hit four straight 3-pointers while accounting for all of the scoring during the Bucks' 16-0 run that gave them an 85-56 lead.

"We were just really aggressive in that quarter," Jennings said. "Our bigs gave us everything they had, and that gave us some unbelievable intensity."

Jennings finally cooled down late in the third, throwing up an air ball while going for his sixth 3 of the period, but he just laughed off the ensuing chant from what was left of a tiny Palace crowd.

"We know that a guy like Brandon Jennings, who has been struggling a little, was going to come out and try to play at a high level tonight," said Pistons coach Lawrence Frank. "He just turned the game into a show in the third quarter, and we couldn't do anything to stop it."

Rookie Andre Drummond had 18 points and 18 rebounds for Detroit, while Greg Monroe scored 14 points. Drummond became just the second teenager to have an 18-18 game since 1985-86, joining Dwight Howard.

Detroit, which hopes to make a run at the playoffs now that Boston has lost Rondo, won't have a shot if they play many more games like Tuesday's.

"It was a strange game," the Pistons' Charlie Villanueva said. "We came out playing really well for the first 10 or 11 minutes, and after that it was all downhill. They turned it up, and we just collapsed."

After taking a 28-13 lead with 1:43 remaining in the first quarter, the Pistons were outscored 77-35 over the next nearly 25 minutes. Milwaukee had a 33-14 scoring edge in the second period, including Samuel Dalembert tipping in a missed free throw that had been taken with 0.1 seconds left.

"The worst part about that play was that it was Milwaukee's third offensive rebound off a missed free throw in the first half," Frank said. "I'm not sure I've ever seen that before. We had a chance to get up big, but they started playing harder than we did, and that changed the whole personality of the game."

Things got even worse in the third quarter as Jennings helped the Bucks stretch their lead to 29 with 3:42 remaining in the period.

Detroit's defensive effort disappeared at that point, leading to a particularly ugly sequence in the fourth. Dalembert got open for back-to-back uncontested dunks in a half-court set, with John Henson making it three in a row on the next possession.

"When someone comes out firing like Brandon did in the third quarter, I think it takes a lot of life out of the other team," Boylan said. "He's been doing that a lot for us lately."

NOTES: Dunleavy had a four-point play as part of his 14-point second quarter. ... The Pistons had beaten Milwaukee in both meetings this season. ... The Pistons honored NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski at halftime. Keselowski is from Rochester Hills, only a few miles from the Palace. ... Howard had three games of at least 18 rebounds and 18 points at the age of 19.

Notebook: Bucks 117, Pistons 90

Dana Gauruder, for NBA.com
Posted Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:34 PM - Updated Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:34 PM

THE FACTS: Brandon Jennings poured in 30 points, including a personal 16-0 run in the third quarter, as the Milwaukee Bucks crushed the Detroit Pistons 117-90 at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday. Mike Dunleavy had 17 points for the Bucks, who won for the fifth time in six games and moved five games over .500 for the first time this season. Rookie Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "He really has the ability to get into a rhythm, into a zone, and he can do it quick by making a couple of shots. Then everything's just falling. You can't get caught up in it as a teammate but it's always fun to watch."

-- Dunleavy on Jennings' third-quarter flurry

THE STAT: 110.8. The Bucks have been on a scoring barrage lately, averaging 110.8 points over their last five games while going 4-1 in that stretch. While Jennings was the standout, they received major contributions from their bench on Tuesday. That group combined for 59 points, including double figures from Dunleavy, Samuel Dalembert (12) and John Henson (11).

TURNING POINT: Led by their bench, the Bucks finished the second quarter on a 21-4 run to grab a 52-42 halftime lead. Dunleavy scored six points during that stretch, as did Ekpe Udoh, who had three putbacks. Dalembert ended the half with a tip-in in the last second off a missed Larry Sanders free throw.

QUOTABLE II: "You always want that heat check to see if it's really for real. After that airball, I was like 'Alright, I'm going to chill out a little bit now.'"

-- Jennings on missing badly on a 3-point attempt late in the third after making his first five from long range during the quarter

HOT: Jennings scored 18 of his 20 points in a win over Golden State on Saturday during the third quarter. He got hot right after halftime again, pouring in 20 third-quarter points to turn the game into a laugher. Jennings made four consecutive 3-pointers during his 16-0 run to stretch Milwaukee's lead to 29, 85-56. Jennings, who averaged just 12 points in two losses to Detroit earlier this season, added four of his six assists during the quarter.

NOT: Detroit's bench outside of Drummond was thoroughly outplayed by Milwaukee's reserves. That group shot 25 percent (7-for-28) and committed seven turnovers. It was primarily responsible for the Bucks' 33-14 second-quarter advantage.

GOOD MOVE: Bucks coach Jim Boylan cancelled the morning shootaround, figuring the Bucks needed extra rest to prepare for four games in five nights. After a slow start, that strategy paid off as Milwaukee equaled its season high in points on 46.9 percent shooting.

BAD MOVE: The Pistons' big men did a poor job of blocking out in the second quarter, allowing 13 second-chance points. That gave the Bucks a confidence boost which they carried into the second half.

NOTABLE: Drummond became the first teenager other than Dwight Howard to have at least 18 points and 18 rebounds in a game since 1985. ... Sanders, the league's top shot blocker, was held to one block in 16 minutes. ... Milwaukee's other 117-point game came during a four-point victory over New Orleans on Nov. 17. ... Boylan is 8-3 since taking over for Scott Skiles as head coach earlier this month. ... Brad Keselowski, last year's NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, was honored at halftime. He grew up in nearby Rochester Hills. .... Monroe was averaging 20.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in his last six games against the Bucks.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday @ New York, Saturday vs. Orlando. For the Pistons, Wednesday @ Indiana, Friday vs. Cleveland, Sunday vs. L.A. Lakers.

• Bucks: Lamb, Przybilla
• Pistons: Kravtsov, Middleton

• Bucks: --
• Pistons: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #70 Brent Barnaky, #79 Kevin Scott
• Attendance: 15479
• Duration: 2:11