Mar 13, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Milwaukee Bucks power forward Ekpe Udoh (13) is fouled by Washington Wizards center Trevor Booker (35) during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Wizards defeated the Bucks 106 – 93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

Playing four games in five nights across a geographical span of four times zones is the NBA equivalent of dodgeball.  You might escape with a cute maneuver here or there, but unless you’re really good (see the incoming Miami Heat, for example), someone else is going to pop you at an inopportune moment.

For the second night in a row, the Bucks got smacked.  The Washington Wizards flattened an already flat team by scoring 60 points in the first half, then they helped Milwaukee to their feet for the third quarter only to deliver a glancing blow in the fourth.

But that third quarter was the interesting aberration for the evening, no?

After the game, coach Jim Boylan said that the Bucks “got some real good leadership in the locker room at halftime… there were a couple good voices in there.”  Later, J.J. Redick said that the most vocal player was Monta Ellis.

It showed in his play, too.  Ellis had 28 points on 19 shots to pair with eight assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.  His speed and energy in chasing plays went largely unmatched by his teammates.

The third quarter was the sole highlight for the Bucks.  Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders helped the spur the Bucks’ 29-6 outburst spread over six minutes of the period.  Ilyasova and Sanders scored 12 and 7 points in the quarter, respectively, and the pair combined the control the boards.

It was the only time in the game Milwaukee did the requisite work of rebounding — the Wizards bullied them in that area soundly in the other three quarters. Trevor Booker, in particular, boosted the Wizards with 12 rebounds in just over 22 minutes.

The Bucks got beat in other areas, too.  Washington attempted a dozen free throws in the first half, while the Bucks got none.  Zero. Zip.  Milwaukee’s frustration with the officials arose again in the fourth quarter.  Sanders chirped at an official when Nene (game-high 13 rebounds) went over his back for a tip-in.  When another call went against him late in the game, Sanders flashed his mock approval. (GIF credit to @wiz_spurtin)

And that may be the cheeriest way to fetch an automatic ejection.  Referee Bennett Salvatore tossed Sanders moments later.

Sanders (and Boylan, see below) tooke the ejection in stride. He combined a smile and a grimace at the same time when asked about the gesturing that brought on his ejection.  ”I really wanted to win and gain some momentum going into the playoffs. I felt like we played hard, but we didn’t play our best.”

Mike Dunleavy had a terrible game (0/6 FG, 4 rebs, 2 fouls, 1 TO). The troubling play of a much more concerting nature belonged to Brandon Jennings (2/8 FG, 2 TO).  In the first half, Jennings’ speed and quickness vanished.  His passivity was palpable, both on offense and defense.

“I haven’t been shooting as much, but when I was shooting it was a problem”, Jennings said after the game.  ”So now that I’m not shooting, it’s like, ‘Oh he doesn’t want to play basketball’, but I do, it’s just that I’m looking for my teammates more.”

Jennings did barely reach the double-digit assist mark for the fifth time in seven games.

John Wall also had 10 assists but added in 23 points (on 10/19 FG) and four steals for a dominant win in the point guard battle for the evening.

1) Don’t play sluggishly.

For the Bucks, this game will be the fourth they have played in five nights. The locales for those games? Oakland, Sacramento, Milwaukee, and Washington DC.  It may be reasonable that the Bucks play this game with heavy legs, but if they do, the positive results from their West Coast weekend will be spoiled.

2) Don’t get bullied.

The Wizards have taken on a lot of salary in the past season or so, and much of it was tied into putting together a veteran, non-knucklehead frontcourt duo (Nene and Emeka Okafor) that will most likely never win a playoff series together.  But they are tough, and more importantly, they are strong.  Up front, the Bucks utilize a corps of slender defenders — Ersan Ilyasova, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders — and it’s important for Milwaukee’s success that those three don’t get pushed around.

3) Make a passable attempt at staying in front of John Wall on defense.

So last night, I made a mistake.

In the second quarter, Mike James crossed up Monta Ellis with a nasty dribble. But Monta recovered extremely quickly, got in front of James, and forced James to pass the ball off — essentially resetting the offense.

I bit on the mirage of Bucks’ perimeter defense and commented.

Mike James completely confused Monta with a crossover, but with James’ speed, Monta caught up after one dribble.

— K L Chouinard (@AnaheimAmigos) March 13, 2013

For the rest of the half, James had unfettered access to the painted area.  The Bucks weren’t even trying.  He got past Jennings. He got past Ellis.  The Mavs outscored the Bucks 27-10 to close out the half. And when I checked my mentions, I found a response to my earlier tweet.

@anaheimamigos bcuz Mike slowed down as the ball went in?

— Bernie Lee (@bleebasket) March 13, 2013

Touché, Mr. Lee.  Lee is Mike James’ agent.

For the Bucks to win tonight, they need to defend John Wall better than they did Mike James.  And Wall is better than James.  Are you okay with that statement, Mr. Lee?

Feb 11, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Mike Dunleavy (17) looks to pass against Washington Wizards center Emeka Okafor (50) at the Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Projected Lineups

Wizards: John Wall, Garrett Temple, Martell Webster, Nene, Emeka Okafor
Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Mike Dunleavy, Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders

Injuries:

Luc Mbah a Moute missed Milwaukee’s game last night due to a turf toe injury. He is listed as day-to-day.
Bradley Beal missed Washington’s game last night with a sprained ankle. He is listed as day-to-day.
Trevor Ariza hurt his knee yesterday and missed the second half.  He said he would “probably not” be playing against the Bucks.

Some numbers

The glaring difference between the two teams is that the Bucks are passable on offense, while the Wizards are, um, the worst.

But the splits show that the worst of the Wizards’ offense may be behind them. Their least efficient lineups from this season feature the recently traded Jordan Crawford. Their point production has fared better with players like Martell Webster, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, and recently healed John Wall taking up more minutes on the perimeter.