Two NBA items snuck up on us last week. First, Stephon Marbury is playing basketball in China and was a star at their All-Star game. And second, the Milwaukee Bucks were the hottest team in the NBA.
Who knew? Aside from the Bucks, of course.
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Philadelphia cooled them off Wednesday, but the fact remains. Milwaukee, with former top player Michael Redd done for the season, has won 15 of its last 18 games, putting them as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. During the streak, they’ve defeated Atlanta twice, Boston, Utah, Cleveland (minus LeBron James), Denver and Charlotte.
Center Andrew Bogut is having a career year (15.8 ppg, 10.2 rpg) while guard John Salmons, acquired from Chicago before the February trade deadline, has averaged 19.6 points in 19 games. And while rookie Brandon Jennings is talented, but inconsistent (15.8 ppg; 37.2 percent field goal percentage), the Bucks have a solid backup in Luke Ridnour (10.3 ppg).
