Memphis played their first truly poor game of the season on Wednesday night as they were run off the court by Mike D'Antoni's Suns, I mean Knicks. Looking more like the Phoenix team than the New York version the Knicks made 19 three point shots on 34 attempts and forced the Grizzlies into numerous turnovers with their relentless pace and pressure. O J Mayo's string of 30 point games came to an end but he didn't play poorly. The Grizzlies just seemed a step behind all night which is understandable playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and having just completed the longest road trip of the season to the West Coast.

Milwaukee ended a 3 game losing streak with a home win over San Antonio on Wednesday night. Before people start saying that the victory was phyrric due to the Spurs injuries remember that Milwaukee was without Michael Redd for the 5th straight game and starter Charlie Villanueva was limited to 10 minutes in the game after injuring his hamstring. He is questionable for the game in Memphis. Andrew Bogut was very aggressive in the game with 17 boards to show for the effort despite defending Tim Duncan most of the night.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Luke Ridnour
Luke Ridnour returned to the starters role after missing two games with back spasms. Ridnour has been trying to fight off a strong challenge from Ramon Sessions for the starting job. Conley had a decent game against the Knicks with 6 points, 7 rebounds but only 2 assists in the game, his 2nd 2 assist night in a row. Ridnour is slow of foot but will likely play off Conley since no one is respecting his outside shot right now and Conley hasn't shown the ability to use his speed to create shots in the lane either. Conley is also fighting his back up for minutes but the pressure seems to be effecting him more than Ridnour.
Advantage: Milwaukee

Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs  Charlie Bell
O J Mayo's big scoring streak ended just when the Grizzlies needed it the most but that doesn't mean he is experiencing the normal rookie ups and downs. 17 points on 6-13 shooting. So the problem wasn't his shooting as much as the lack of attempts. Charlie Bell will be an easier defensive assignment for Mayo than he has faced almost the entire season. The combo guard doesn't look to make a mark on the offensive end but can do damage if ignored.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Richard Jefferson
Turn on the recorder for this matchup alone. Two of the most impressive dunkers in an NBA game (vs a contest) face each other in this game. Rudy has struggled finding his shot away from the basket. However he has done a good job of scoring in big situations. Richard Jefferson was unhappy to hear he had been traded to Milwaukee but has adapted to lead the team in total points averaging 18 ppg but he also is hitting his perimeter shots, rebounding and creating scoring opportunities for teammates. All things Rudy is failing to do so far this season.
Advantage: Milwaukee

Power Forwards: Darrell Arthur vs Charlie Villanueva
Assuming Villanueva can go on his injured hammy then Arthur will have to be ready for cherry picking baskets and offensive boards from Charlie V. Combined with Andrew Bogut the Bucks big men average over 6 offensive boards a game. Arthur has been a surprise as a starter. The rookie is averaging nearly 8 points and 8 boards a game but his shot is off (37% for the season). Arthur has always been a mid 50% shooter in his career so it may not be long before his finds his shooting range again. If Villanueva can't go then Luc Mbah a Moute looks to be the benificiary of the majority of minutes.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Marc Gasol vs Andrew Bogut
Marc Gasol has been the most pleasent surprise of the young season. He has had huge games against some teams and more than adequate games in most of the rest. Gasol excels against big slow centers. Bogut is big but not that slow. He knows how to use his body to get to the boards (17 rebounds against the Spurs) and to get his defender in foul trouble. Foul trouble has been the biggest problem for Marc all season. If Gasol can stay out of foul trouble it should be a great matchup.
Advantage: Milwaukee

Benches: Memphis vs Milwaukee
When Ridnour and Redd were out of the lineup Milwaukee's bench got very thin. With Ridnour's return Milwaukee's bench doesn't look to bad. If Redd returns they actually look pretty good. Ramon Sessions played about a third of the season last year but still beat out Mike Conley for the All-Rookie team at Point Guard. Luc Mbah a Moute has been pleasant surprise as a combo forward. If Charlie Bell was coming off the bench too then it would be a solid 8 man rotation. As it is relying on Malik Allen, Joe Alexander and Dan Gadzurich can't make the Bucks feel real good. Memphis' bench had an off night against the Knicks but Lowry, Warrick and even Darko have looked solid lately and Marco Jaric made a guest appearance with some good play at the end of the Knicks game too.
Advantage: Memphis

Other Commentary:
Beyond the Arc
Bucks - Brew Hoop
Bucks - Bucks Blog
Bucks - Bucks Diary
Bucks - The Bob Boozer Jinx
Bucks - The Bratwurst

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