State Basketball Roundup: Bucks to face a depleted Spurs squad

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SAN ANTONIO - The Milwaukee Bucks will play at San Antonio tonight – and Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich is concerned that he might not have four injured players.

Danny Green, who averages 10 points a game, left early on Saturday night after pulling a hamstring. Gary Neal has an Achilles problem, Kahwi Leonard has a right knee injury, and former Buck Stephen Jackson is out with a bad finger. Green was among the infamous four players whom Popovich refused to bring to Miami last week, so they could get some rest amid four games in five nights. That netted the Spurs a 250-thousand-dollar fine from NBA Commissioner David Stern. Neal has been hot lately, averaging 17 points in his last three contests. The Spurs have won seven-of-their-last-nine against the Bucks – and the Spurs are coming off a four-point overtime win over Memphis last Saturday. The Bucks are coming off a 21-point drubbing at New Orleans on Monday night. Milwaukee guard Monta Ellis has averaged 27 points in his last nine games against San Antonio – but the Spurs still won all of those contests. San Antonio has won six-of-its-last-seven overall, and is 14-4 on the season. The Bucks are 8-8, after losing six-of-their-last-eight.

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The UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team is playing a mid-day contest today at Central Michigan. The Phoenix are 5-1 after beating Division-Two Indianapolis by 12 points at home last Friday night. Senior Adrian Ritchie became the 30th player in Green Bay history to score a-thousand points for her career. She had 16 against Indy, along with a career-high six steals and a season-high seven assists. Central Michigan is coming off losses to a pair of nationally-ranked teams. The Chippewas lost by 17 last Sunday at 14th-ranked Purdue – and they gave Number-Five Notre Dame all they could handle until the Irish rallied late for a 72-63 win. Today, Green Bay is playing its first game in Mount Pleasant Michigan since 1990. But they’re facing each other for the second time this season, after the Phoenix crushed the Chippewas 75-48 two-and-a-half weeks ago. Today’s tip-off was scheduled for 11 a-m. Tonight, the Wisconsin women host in-state rival Marquette. And in men’s action, UW-Milwaukee will try to end a four-game losing streak when it hosts Buffalo.

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The nation’s second-ranked Division III men’s basketball team will play the WIAC’s only 6-0 squad tonight. UW-Whitewater is 5-0 overall, and will travel to La Crosse. Also in men’s conference play tonight, seventh-ranked Stevens Point is at Oshkosh. Eau Claire is at Platteville. Superior hosts Stout. And River Falls hosts Viterbo in a non-conference game as part of the only men’s-and-women’s double-header involving a WIAC school. La Crosse, Whitewater, Stevens Point, and Platteville all lead the men’s standings at 1-0 in league contests. On the women’s side, the 12th-ranked Pointers host Oshkosh. Platteville is at Eau Claire. Stout hosts Superior. And La Crosse travels to Whitewater. The Warhawk women are 1-0 in the WIAC, as are Superior, Eau Claire, and River Falls.

Tags: basketball, proam, bucks