Mar 13, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Milwaukee Bucks point guard Monta Ellis (11) passes the ball as Washington Wizards center Nene (42) looks on during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Wizards defeated the Bucks 106 – 93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

With a win over Philadelphia, the Miami Heat tied the 1970-71 Bucks for the third-longest winning streak in NBA history.  If the Bucks can figure out a way to win over the Heat Friday, they can seal that tie for good.  The Heat are scheduled to practice in the Cousins Center today.

Gustavo Ayon took the spot of John Henson in the rotation against the Wizards.  Jim Boylan spoke of Washington’s size after the game, so perhaps he played the thicker Ayon over the thinner Henson. “We were a bit overmatched in the size department and over a 48-minute game that can wear you down a bit.”

J.J. Redick was disappointed with the loss, but looking up in the standings.  ”We haven’t secured anything”, he said.  ”I’m not going to be happy if we end up with the eighth seed.  I’m obviously not going to be happy if we don’t make the playoffs, but I think that this team has enough talent to move up. We have to beat teams like the Heat, but we have to beat teams like the Wizards, too.”

Martell Webster said some very un-P.C. things in the locker room after the Wizards’ win. Perhaps he was too giddy.  Eww. Webster buried the Bucks with outside shooting in the first half, but it’s not that surprising.  He has made 45% of his three-point attempts this season.

John Wall took a full hour to emerge for his post-game interview in the locker room.  Even the staff at the Verizon Center seemed a bit befuddled by the length of time it took.

It took a while but I am finally starting to understand the hold that Monta Ellis had over some fans in Golden State.  His play over the last month has been startling.  When there’s a loose ball, I find my eyes inevitably moving to watch Ellis — not because he’s the player closest to the ball, but because he is the one moving toward it the fastest.  But his shot has much less arc than any NBA player I’ve ever seen, so he has to have his proverbial legs under him to be successful.

Recently, he has.  When he won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week Award for the week bridging February and March, he averaged 24.0 points per game on 44% shooting.  In the six games since, he has averaged 28.2 points per game on 55% shooting.

Mike Dunleavy was informed after the game about DeMarcus Cousins‘ non-suspension. He replied professionally and succinctly (and without overt sarcasm), “Good for him. No really, good for him.”

Mar 10, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Tyreke Evans (13) passes the ball around Milwaukee Bucks small forward Mike Dunleavy (17) and power forward John Henson (31) during the fourth quarter at the Power Balance Pavilion. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-113. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

In the end, the Bucks squeezed just enough out of the pieces that they did have.  Their reward? A weekend road sweep.

Playing without Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova, and J.J. Redick, the Bucks dug deep into their rotation to eke out a dramatic 115-113 win over the Sacramento Kings.  With less than five seconds left, Jimmer Fredette intentionally missed a free throw and rebounded it.  Monta Ellis got a hand on the ball though and deflected it. By the time Tyreke Evans regathered it, he only had time to misfire a long, slim hope. He missed.

The Bucks happily accepted valuable contributions from unexpected sources like Ekpe Udoh, Gustavo Ayon, Marquis Daniels, Samuel Dalembert, and John Henson.  Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis led the team, and even if their boxscore lines aren’t the fanciest, they did hand out a combined 17 assists while gashing Sacramento’s substandard defense for 20 free throw attempts.

The game took a weird turn in the third quarter.  Mike Dunleavy tried to box out DeMarcus Cousins on a missed shot by the Kings.  He got to his position later rather than sooner, and lower rather than higher.  Cousins took offense, presumably thinking that Dunleavy had undercut him.  Four players fell to the floor following the play.  In the subsequent one-sided jawing, the pair received a double-technical.

When the game resumed to action, Dunleavy set a backscreen on Cousins, who freed himself by turning and elbowing Dunleavy in the back of the head.  Cousins was ejected for a Flagrant-2 foul.

Up until that point, Cousins had scored effortlessly on his way to making 10-of-12 field goals.  But after the technical, the rest of the Kings and the Kings crowd got an emotional bump.  Shortly after the foul, they went on a 13-3 run.

Fortunately for the Bucks, the play spurred Mike Dunleavy too.  The Bucks likely would not have won without the four three-pointers he made after the ejection.

Mar 10, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks small forward Mike Dunleavy (17) reacts after being called for a technical foul during the third quarter at the Power Balance Pavilion. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-113. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

A substitution of Jimmer Fredette and Cole Aldrich spurred a frantic late game 19-5 run by the Kings in the game’s final four minutes. Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings closed out the win by making a pair of free throws each following deliberate Kings fouls.

Gustavo Ayon scored 12 first-half points while maneuvering nimbly along the baseline and in the paint.  He also grabbed seven rebounds and a pair of steals.  He did pick up a pair of quick second-half fouls though (and four total), so Drew Gooden took his spot in the rotation for the rest of the game. Gooden wasn’t nearly as effective.

Ekpe Udoh and Samuel Dalembert did well to replace Larry Sanders’ defense of the rim.  Udoh, in particular, played his best game of the season.  He blocked four shots, scored 10 points, and hounded Isaiah Thomas as the second-line of Bucks’ defense when the first line was doing little to slow the unbelievably quick guard.