Nov 12, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday (11) is defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings (3) during the third quarter at the Wachovia Center. The Bucks defeated the Sixers 105-96. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks (21-18) welcome Jrue Holiday and the Philadelphia 76ers (17-24) to the BMO Harris Bradley Center for the second of their four game series.

Projected Lineups:

Sixers: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Dorell Wright, Lavoy Allen
Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Luc Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders

The Sixers surely have not had the season they had hoped for. They shook things up in the offseason, trading away their  franchise cornerstone Andre Iguodala and acquiring Andrew Bynum in the Dwight Howard blockbuster deal. Bynum hasn’t played a game yet this season thanks to a nagging knee injury, and the Sixers have struggled immensely without the post presence they hoped would turn their franchise around.

The one bright spot for Philadelphia this year has been the emergence of point guard Jrue Holiday, who has upped his numbers in almost every category and is playing at an All-Star level. He has really elevated his game and is carrying the load for this struggling Sixers squad. The numbers tell the whole story:

The last time these two met was on November 12th in Philly. The Bucks won 105-96 behind a ridiculous stat line from Brandon Jennings; 33 points on 12-21 shooting, 8 assists and 4 steals with a +25 PER. As a whole the Bucks shot 51% in that game and won despite committing 23 turnovers. Jrue Holiday scored 26 points along with 8 assists and 4 steals that night.

If Brandon Jennings wants a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Stars, outplaying Holiday a second time would go a long way.

The Bucks will most certainly have the fresh legs in this one, as they are going on two days rest. On the other hand, the Sixers lost a 90-85 heartbreaker in Philly last night to the Spurs, in a game they had under control until San Antonio swung the momentum in the final minutes.

The key for the Bucks in this game is to attack the basket. With Bynum out, the Sixers have no true defensive presence in the paint. In their last meeting the Bucks dominated the Sixers’ front court, scoring 42 points in the paint on the game. If the Bucks can get to the rim and play solid defense, this is a game the Bucks will win.

Let’s just hope they don’t decide to extend yesterday’s holiday an extra day.

iNov 10, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Samuel Dalembert (21) holds onto the ball as Boston Celtics guard Courtney Lee (11) (left) and forward Jeff Green (8) (right) reach in during the fourth quarter at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Celtics defeated the Bucks 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Remember when the Bucks chose not to extend the rookie contract of Brandon Jennings?  Remember how he came out and carved up the Celtics two days later?  (A performance that was a far cry from the 1/11 FG outing on Saturday that inspired this since-deleted tweet.)

The Bucks take on the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia tonight (6 PM ET).  The opponent is significant because Jennings will be matched up against 76ers guard Jrue Holiday. Holiday — in a situation quite similar to Jennings’ — got a 4-year, $41 million contract extension at the October 31st deadline.

I’m 99.99% positive that Brandon will enter the game well aware of this fact, but if not, can someone remind him?  It would be terrific if he played anywhere nearly as well as he did in the season opener.

Projected Lineups:

76ers: Jrue Holiday, Jason Richardson, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Lavoy Allen
Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Tobias Harris, Ersan Ilyasova, Samuel Dalembert

Coach Scott Skiles feels around on his forehead for a headband that is actually on Marquis Daniels’ head. (Photo credit: Jeff Hanisch, US Presswire)

At some point, it needs to be noted that the starting five is quite different than the finishing five.  When Scott Skiles picks players for the crucial minutes, he typically goes with something like Ellis-Jennings-Dunleavy-Sanders, plus either Ersan Ilyasova or Ekpe Udoh. (My hunch is that it will be more Ersan and less Ekpe once Ilyasova finds his way out of his slump, but we’ll have to wait and see on that one.) Others have been used at times, too, including Marquis Daniels and Samuel Dalembert.For the 76ers, Holiday is the leading scorer at 19.6 points per game.  Shooting guard Jason Richardson is listed as probable to return after missing four games with a sore left ankle that he sprained falling on a cameraman.

Philadelphia traded away Andre Iguodala in a multi-team deal that brought them Andrew Bynum, but Bynum has yet to appear in a game this season (bone bruise in his right knee).  Both he and fellow center (and former Buck!) Kwame Brown are out for tonight’s game.

The Sixers leading rebounder to this point in the season is small forward Evan Turner, the #2 overall pick of the 2010 draft.  Tobias Harris will have his hands full keeping Turner off the boards.  Boxing out isn’t yet a forte for Harris.

Some numbers to consider

A quick examination of the Bucks numbers shows that they are rebounding well — protecting their defensive boards while getting a greater share of offensive rebounds than they give up.  They are also keeping the pace they professed in the preseason:  an estimated 95.2 possessions per 48 minutes ranks them 3rd in the NBA.

But the Bucks are losing the battle of effective field goal percentage and free throw rates.  It’s hard to see them improving much in the free throw department — their overaggressive interior defenders aren’t afraid to challenge defenders at the risk of incurring fouls — so they need to push down their opponents eFG% to keep up with the better teams of the Eastern Conference.

In terms of their own (regular) field goal percentage, Jennings and Monta Ellis are both below 40%, while Ersan Ilyasova sits below 30%.  At some point, Ilyasova will regress back up toward his mean, but for Jennings and Ellis, those true means may not be much higher than their current marks.  If so, this season will be a long one.

On the bright side, Larry Sanders sits fourth in the NBA in both blocks per game (2.6) and field goal percentage (.658). Perhaps more impressively, Sanders is fifth in the league in defensive rebounding percentage (29.8%). Ekpe Udoh, who corrals 4.8% of available defensive rebounds, remains unranked and well-loved by astute Bucks fans.

Dunleavy doesn’t get the job

Mike Bresnahan, Lakers beatwriter for the LA Times, broke the story early this morning that Hall of Famer Phil Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers. Instead, former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni will get the job.

Source: Mike D’Antoni will be the next coach of the Lakers. Not Phil Jackson.

— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 12, 2012

Mike D’Antoni signed a four-year deal with the Lakers. Phil Jackson was “asking for the moon,” accoring to source familiar w/ the situation.

— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 12, 2012

For what it’s worth, former Buck Mike Dunleavy — father of Mike, Jr — was the Lakers’ third choice after Jackson and D’Antoni. Dunleavy’s previous coaching stints include jobs with both LA teams and the Bucks.