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Milwaukee
Bucks' Andrew Bogut (6) is fouled as he tries to shoot
over New Jersey Nets' Josh Boone (2) during the second
half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday in
Milwaukee
. The Bucks won 99-85.
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MILWAUKEE - Brandon Jennings
knew it was a gamble. So far, all the odds have been in the
rookie's favor.
Jennings made a swipe and slam
past two stunned Nets during a 15-0 run to start the second
half, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each scored 21 points,
and the Milwaukee Bucks beat winless New Jersey 99-85 on
Wednesday night.
"He saw the whole thing
develop," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "That was a
big momentum break for us. It was a big steal and you got to
see the little fella down there dunk the ball."
Jennings, who jammed a finger
and got kneed twice that left him limping in the fourth
quarter, said he took a beating against the Nets. But his
nifty steal between Chris Douglas-Roberts and Rafer Alston was
the more demoralizing blow.
"I wasn't really going to
dunk it at first, that's probably all you're going to get out
of me this year," said Jennings, who had 19 points and
eight assists, but also had eight turnovers.
Douglas-Roberts scored a
career-high 31 points and had 10 rebounds, but the
short-handed Nets have lost 12 straight for their longest
single-season losing streak in more than 19 years.
"We lost. That's the only
thing that means anything to me. Wins and losses. We lost. I
don't pay attention to how many points and how many minutes I
play," Douglas-Roberts said.
New Jersey shot 9 of 38 in the
second half after leading 48-41 at halftime.
"We knew they would give
us a good run for our money and we didn't play too well in the
first half," said Bogut, who added 11 rebounds. "But
we steadied the ship in the third quarter, our defense was key
in the second half and we got the win."
The Nets' poor shooting made it
easy for Bogut, Delfino and Jennings, in his second game since
a 55-point night on Saturday.
Milwaukee started the second
half with 15 straight points, including eight in the spurt by
Jennings, and led by as many as 19 points in the fourth
quarter. The Bucks improved to 4-1 on a six-game homestand
that ends Friday.
"Our guys have done a good
job with a favorable schedule. We've got one more home game,
we'd like to get that, but now the pace really picks up,"
Skiles said.
The Bucks' only real scare came
early in the fourth quarter when Jennings, the 10th pick in
this year's draft, ran into a hard screen and fell awkwardly,
but he returned after the timeout.
From there, Jennings, who has
double figures in eight of his first nine games, continued his
masterful play, whipping a pass to Delfino in the corner for a
3-pointer to make it 83-66 as Milwaukee cruised.
The Nets led by as many as 11
in the first half after Terrence Williams looked like the stud
rookie to watch. He scored 16 second-quarter points, hitting
seven shots in a row, and finished with 20 points and 10
rebounds.
But Jennings, picked one slot
ahead of Williams, came storming back in the third quarter,
pestering the Nets with his speed that led to his big steal
and dunk. He knocked down a 3-pointer moments later that gave
Milwaukee a 56-48 lead.
It's been more misery for the
Nets, who last lost at least 12 in a row in a season when they
dropped 14 straight in 1990, according to STATS LLC research.
New Jersey's next chance for a
win comes at home against the Knicks on Saturday before
heading out on a four-game West Coast trip. The NBA record is
17 straight losses to start a season shared by Miami and the
Los Angeles Clippers.
"I don't even focus on
0-17," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "Obviously,
it's very disappointing to be where we're at. Right need what
we need to do is have a day of practice and get ready for the
game against New York."
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