Bucks improve playoff positioning thanks to win over Washington

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Bucks moved up a notch in the NBA playoff race, after beating the Washington Wizards at home last night 100-to-87.

Milwaukee now holds the sixth-of-eight Eastern Conference playoff spots on a tie-breaker with Chicago. And the Bucks are just a half-game behind Toronto for the number-five spot with 22 games left.

But coach Scott Skiles was not happy with the Bucks’ defensive performance against the Wizards. Center Andrew Bogut and power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute only had three defensive rebounds between them. Bogut did have five blocked shots, and John Salmons led Milwaukee’s offense with 22 points. The Bucks were up by eight at the half. And 12 Washington turnovers in the third quarter helped the Bucks take a 17-point lead into the final period. Ersan Ilyasova had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists for Milwaukee, which won for the 13th time in its last 17 games.

Andray Blatche and Randy Foye both scored 18 for Washington, which has lost three-of-its-last-four. The Bucks play the Wizards again tomorrow night in Washington. And Skiles says they’ll lose if they play like they did last evening.

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