Former Bruin (and one of the Cameroon Crazies' twin-towers with Alfred Aboya 06-09) Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 06-08 posts a double-double -- 18 pts, 11 rbds -- starting for the Milwaukee Bucks at home as they beat the Indiana Pacers, 93-81, February 6, Saturday.
Another former Bruin, Dan Gadzuric 99-02, also with the Bucks, did not play (Coach's decision).
Yet another former Bruin, now starting point guard for the Pacers, Earl Watson 98-01, did not play. Earl is taking time off due to the recent passing of his grandmother.
video credit bballfansite on youtube.com, NBA/Broadband TV
Recap
Bogut's 21 lead Bucks to victory over Pacers
By RICK BRAUN, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday February 7, 2010 12:39AM
MILWAUKEE (NBA.com exclusive) -- One night after leaving with a headache, Andrew Bogut dished out a few headaches for the Indiana Pacers, both literally and figuratively.
Bogut tallied a game-high 21 points Saturday night as he led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 93-81 victory over the Pacers before a sellout of 18,717 at the Bradley Center.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added a season-high 18 points to go with 11 rebounds and a defensive effort that held Indiana's Danny Granger to 14 points, well below his season average of 22.5.
The Bucks won for the fifth time in their last six games and moved into a virtual tie with Miami for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are 23-26, while the Heat is 24-27 after a loss at Chicago.
Bogut left the Bucks' 114-107 victory in New York on Friday night just 5:25 into the game with a bad migraine headache and did not return. He said before the game Saturday that he still had a slight headache, then posted 10 points and five rebounds in the first quarter as the Bucks took a 31-21 lead.
"I felt great in the first half," Bogut said. "I made my first couple of shots and it gave me confidence."
Bogut had seven more points in the second quarter as the Bucks built the lead to 39-21 before allowing the Packers to pull within 53-46 at the half.
After allowing the Pacers back into the game going into the half, the Bucks could not shake Indiana again.
Bogut was held scoreless in a ragged third quarter that saw both teams struggle offensively, and Milwaukee maintained its lead at 70-63 entering the fourth.
"The third quarter I was just tired," Bogut said. "My legs were not there."
But Mbah a Moute was making up for Bogut's poor quarter and a poor overall night for point guards Brandon Jennings and Luke Ridnour, who combined to go just 3 for 16.
Known much more for his defense, Mbah a Moute had 12 at the half and added two free throws, a 17-footer and a running hook in the lane in the first six minutes of the third period.
His 18 points tripled his season average of 6.0 entering the game.
"He looked much more like himself," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "Sometimes we feel like this year he's been trying to do a little too much offensively, and it's hurt him. He hustles so much that the game comes to him, and that's what happened tonight, it just came to him. He was on the offensive glass, he found some things around the basket, he hit a couple of jumpers.
"And defensively he was just outstanding in both games (Friday and Saturday)."
Mike Dunleavy's 3-point play pulled the Pacers within 75-70 with 8:05 left, and the Pacers had a chance to make it a one-possession game when they went to Granger on their next possession.
Instead, strong defensive pressure inside forced Granger to come up short on a reverse layup, and Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer pushed the lead to 78-70.
Jennings was scoreless at 0 for 5 before he drilled a 3-pointer with 5:27 left to make it 83-74. Delfino then helped seal the deal.
He deflected a T.J. Ford pass toward the right corner, then ran and grabbed the ball, turning in the air and throwing it in to Mbah a Moute just before falling out of bounds for his fourth steal of the night.
Delfino then capped the Bucks' possession by draining a 21-footer to make it 85-74 with 4:58. The Pacers would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Delfino finished with 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He made 4 of 9 3-pointers.
"I was struggling a little with my shot but I tried to hustle more on the defensive side," Delfino said. "On that play in particular, I deflected it and thought the ball was out. But then I saw it went high so I had a couple of seconds to go get it. It was a key moment because we needed to make a play to switch the momentum."
The Pacers (18-33) had a two-game winning streak snapped. They were playing without starting point guard Earl Watson, who missed his second straight game to attend his grandmother's funeral.
Rookie A.J. Price started in his place but left with 6:26 left in the third with a concussion after going to the floor when he collided with Bogut on a drive to the basket.
That left Ford, the veteran who hadn't played at all in January while the Pacers went with Watson and Price. Ford ended up leading the Pacers with 20 points, including a 2-for-2 showing on 3-pointers after entering the game 2 for 30 on 3-pointers for the season.
Ford also had four of the Pacers' 20 turnovers.
"The key was the ability to take care of the ball not turn the ball over," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "We clearly didn't do that."
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