| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks were giving each other high-fives, while the San Antonio Spurs were pointing fingers.
|  | | Ray Allen drives past Terry Porter for two of his 26 points. |
Ray Allen had 26 points and Dale Ellis scored all of his 13
points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks beat the defending
champions 99-88 Thursday night.
The matchup of the NBA's highest-scoring offense and its
stingiest defense remained tight until midway through the fourth
quarter, when the Bucks pulled away with an offensive rush the
Spurs couldn't defend and couldn't match on the other end.
San Antonio has lost two of three after starting the year 6-1.
David Robinson took his teammates to task for their weak fourth-quarter effort.
"It's the same mistakes. We can't get five guys out there on
the same page," Robinson said. "Right now, half the guys on the
floor are doing the right thing. It's about time guys begin to
understand what we're doing."
Milwaukee and San Antonio were tied at 68 entering the fourth
quarter, but the Bucks held the Spurs to six field goals in the
fourth while ending the game with a 14-5 run.
The Bucks improved to 4-0 at home and took over first place in
the Central Division with the win.
"That was a prime example of what we can do," said Glenn Robinson, who had 22 points. "Anybody on this team can get hot and
carry us for a while, but when several guys get it going at the
same time, we're impressive."
Duncan had 29 points and 14 rebounds, but also made seven
turnovers. Robinson added 21 points for San Antonio, but the Spurs
missed nine free throws in the second half and couldn't stop the
Bucks' multi-faceted offense.
Milwaukee's 99 points, though 10 below its season average, were
the most the Spurs have allowed all season. For all their offensive
prowess, coach George Karl was most impressed by his team's gritty
defense in the fourth.
The Bucks went to a small lineup of shooters in the game's
closing minutes, with constant double-teams on the Spurs' twin
towers. When the big men passed out of the pressure, their
teammates were no help, and the Bucks ran away.
"We are still trying to figure out how good we are, but I like
what I saw from our defense tonight," Karl said. "That fourth
quarter effort was just about everything you can ask for."
Ellis' 3-pointer from right in front of Spurs' bench with 1:24
to play put Milwaukee up 92-84, and Sam Cassell hit another 3-pointer 40 seconds later to seal the win.
Cassell had 19 points but only five assists in a subpar performance.
Terry Porter had 11 points and was the only other San Antonio player in double figures.
Milwaukee never trailed after the first quarter, even though the
finesse-oriented Bucks were playing the Spurs' physical style
rather than their own up-tempo game until the fourth. The referees
also did their part to slow down the tempo, calling 28 of the
game's 48 fouls on the Bucks.
The Bucks made a 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter,
taking an 81-74 lead with 7:08 to play on Danny Manning's short jumper. San Antonio closed to 83-80 with 3:51 left, but Ellis
scored five quick points to end the threat.
Robinson hit his first seven shots and scored 20 points in the
first half, but Duncan scored 18 and the Spurs trailed just 45-44.
Game notes
San Antonio's three-game winning streak in the series was
snapped. ... Referee Terry Durham called a technical foul on J.R.
Reid when the Bucks player fouled out with 3:51 to play. Reid's
words to Durham: "That was a great call." ... Ervin Johnson electrified the small but vocal Bradley Center crowd when he
emphatically blocked a dunk attempt by Duncan late in the first
quarter, but the cheers turned to boos when referee Sean Corbin
called a foul. Replays showed the block was spectacular _ and
clean. ... Spurs coach Gregg Popovich picked up a technical foul
for arguing with Corbin in the second quarter.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
San Antonio Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 92
Toronto 81
Milwaukee 99
San Antonio 88
Sacramento 128
Houston 110
Denver 93
LA Lakers 82
Seattle 110
Vancouver 108
|
