| |
|
Milwaukee Bucks' playoffs hopes dashed
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 20 Apr 2012
TRAILING by three games with four games left in their regular season schedule, the Milwaukee Bucks' playoffs aspirations is on death watch.
And no thanks to a brutal 118-109 pounding at the hands of the Indiana Pacers Thursday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Bucks may have taken one of its few remaining breaths.
The loss pushed Milwaukee's win-loss record to 29-33 and only a monumental collapse by the 32-30 Philadelphia 76ers will allow the Bucks to somehow sneak in the playoffs as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
And that minor miracle will be rewarded by a first-round best-of-7 series against either the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat.
The 41-22 Pacers, meanwhile, locked up the 3rd seed in the East and guaranteed themselves homecourt advantage in the opening round. Their possible opponents include the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic.
Indy employed a balanced assault to derail the sliding Bucks, who lost their third game in a row. Danny Granger dropped 29 points, George Hill poured in 22 while David West added 21 for the Pacers, who shot 47.3 percent from the field (43-of-91 shots) including 7-of-17 beyond the arc.
The Bucks put up a decent fight and led by six -- 40-34 -- at the 7:26 mark of the second quarter. But they couldn't sustain their momentum. And neither could they stop the Pacers who went on a rampage that produced a massive 86-71 bubble late in the third quarter.
"They're a good club. They are 19 games over now, so you can't fall behind like that, You have to stay with them. Our overall approach early in the game wasn't good enough for a game like this against a team of that caliber. It's not that we didn't play hard, it's that you need an extraordinary effort against a team like this, not an ordinary one. It's a great club. They will be a tough out in the playoffs, "Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of the Pacers.
Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee's unsuccessful charge with 27 points. Mike Dunleavy darted off the bench with 23 while Monta Ellis chipped in 15. The Bucks shot only 42 percent from the field (37-of-88) and 6-of-20 from beyond the 3-point line (33.3 percent). (Homer D. Sayson)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
, Sat, 12 Jul 2025JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
, Thu, 10 Jul 20254 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
, Tue, 08 Jul 2025UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
, Mon, 07 Jul 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
