Bucks at Warriors
THE STORY: It didn’t take long for Monta Ellis to be lined up
across from his former team. Three days after being traded away, Ellis
will return to Oakland when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Golden State
Warriors on Friday. Not appearing will be one of the players the
Warriors got in return, Stephen Jackson, who was repackaged and sent to
San Antonio in exchange for Richard Jefferson on a wild NBA trade
deadline Thursday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Bucks), CS California (Warriors)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (19-24):
Milwaukee has managed to sneak into the No. 8 spot in the Eastern
Conference on the strength of four straight wins. Sensing a chance to
beat out the New York Knicks for the No. 8 spot, the Bucks on Tuesday
sent Jackson and former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut to the Warriors for
Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown. Ellis and Udoh can’t play until Bogut
completes a physical, which could happen before Friday. Ellis will start
competing for shots in the backcourt with Brandon Jennings, who is
averaging 24 points in eight games this month. Milwaukee was able to let
go of Bogut because of the strong play it has gotten in the froncourt
from Ersan Ilyasova and Drew Gooden. Ilyasova has proven to be the rare
big man who can drain outside jumpers, while Gooden handed out 13
assists in his second career triple-double during Wednesday’s 115-105
win over Cleveland.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (18-22): There has been a debate since Stephen
Curry came to town in the 2009 draft about whether Ellis or Curry would
eventually need to be traded. Golden State, staring at a fifth straight
season without a trip to the playoffs, finally pulled the trigger
Tuesday. Bogut has been out since the end of January with a fractured
ankle and does not expect to play this season. Curry, meanwhile, missed
his second straight game Tuesday with a right foot injury and there is
speculation that the team might consider shutting him down for a long
period of time. Curry and Bogut represent the building blocks of what
the front office hopes is a bright future, with veterans like the newly
acquired Jefferson keeping the Warriors competitive in the short term.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Golden State snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 100-94 victory in the last meeting Feb. 3, 2011.
2. Gooden is averaging 19.4 points since returning to the lineup Feb. 28.
3. Warriors rookie guard Klay Thompson started in Ellis’ old spot Wednesday and scored a career-high 26 points.