Bucks need some road work

Milwaukee, which resides in last place in the Central Division, has lost four straight on the road and is 4-10 away from the friendly confines of the Bradley Center this season.

The Bucks have won two straight overall and will play four of their next five games on the road against Minnesota, San Antonio, Memphis and Cleveland. That is certainly not an easy task for a last-place squad.

But on a brighter note second-year center Andrew Bogut has been playing inspiring basketball as of late. Bogut had 17 points, six boards and five assists in a 121-95 win over Miami on Wednesday. Over his last five games, Bogut has made 28-of-39 shots for a 71 percent clip.

The Bucks, who are the worst team in the NBA with a 48.4 percent defensive field-goal percentage, are playing more like a Western Conference team with plenty of runs and a more fluid offense. Head coach Terry Stotts understands that if his team doesn’t play defense it doesn’t matter what type of numbers the offense is putting up.

"That’s our game," Bucks star guard Michael Redd. "We play like a Western Conference style in the Eastern Conference. We have to push it, that’s part of our game. I guess it’s become part of our identity when we win. That’s when we’re at our best."

Meanwhile, Milwaukee forward Bobby Simmons had successful surgery this week to remove bone spurs on his injured right ankle. Simmons, who hasn’t played this season, is out for the year and is expected to have another procedure performed on the ankle in the future.

Simmons averaged 13.4 points per game last season, his first with Milwaukee.