Milwaukee Bucks

Heading into the season, Bucks coach Scott Skiles felt comfortable with his reserve corps.

Skiles contended that the Bucks' bench was definitely better than a year ago, especially with the offseason additions of veterans Kurt Thomas and Hakim Warrick.

Thomas was acquired in a multi-player deal with the Spurs, and Warrick was signed during free agency after playing the last four seasons for the Grizzlies.

Thomas and Warrick have been especially productive in recent games. With center Andrew Bogut sidelined, Thomas grabbed seven rebounds in the Bucks' 95-88 victory over the Bobcats on Friday night and then grabbed 10 boards in the Bucks' 103-98 triumph over the Grizzlies on Saturday night.

As for Warrick, he almost had a double-double against the Bobcats with 16 points and nine rebounds. Warrick then scored eight points against the Grizzlies.

One other reserve who has stepped up is point guard Luke Ridnour, who had eight points and three assists against the Bobcats before recording a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists against the Grizzlies.

Just how productive was the Bucks' bench in those two games? They outscored the Bobcats' reserves 36-22 and then outscored the Grizzlies' reserves 35-16.

SPURS 112, BUCKS 98: With Andrew Bogut sidelined, the Bucks didn't have any answer for Spurs Hall of Famer in-waiting Tim Duncan at San Antonio. Duncan finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds and did the bulk of his damage in the third quarter.

That's when he scored 13 points in the period and helped the Spurs move to an 87-74 advantage. Bucks power forward Ersan Ilyasova had perhaps his best game of the season, finishing with a team-high 20 points.

• Spurs small forward Richard Jefferson, who played one season with the Bucks before being traded to the Spurs over the summer, scored only 11 points in 27 minutes Monday night in his first appearance against his old team.

• By beating the Bucks, the Spurs took a 36-35 lead in the all-time series between the teams. The Spurs swept the Bucks in their two meetings last season.

• The Bucks have placed an emphasis on rebounding this season and it's paying off. The Bucks entered Monday night's game against the Spurs having allowed only 104 second-chance points this season. That's only 9.5 points a game, lowest in the NBA.

Quote To Note:

"He did a nice job in helping us hold it together when everybody went down (last season). He had to step up and have some big games for us, and he did."

—Bucks coach Scott Skiles on former Bucks and current Spurs small forward Richard Jefferson.

Rotation:

Starters—Point guard Brandon Jennings, Shooting guard Charlie Bell, Small forward Carlos Delfino, Power forward Ersan Ilyasova, Center Dan Gadzuric. Bench—Guard Luke Ridnour, Forward Hakim Warrick, Center Kurt Thomas, Guard Michael Redd, Guard Jodie Meeks, Guard Roko Ukic.

Player Notes:

• G Michael Redd came off the bench, played 11 minutes and scored four points against the Spurs. Redd had been sidelined the last nine games.

• G Brandon Jennings has been a consistently good scorer during his rookie season. Jennings totaled 12 points versus the Spurs at San Antonio and now has scored in double figures in all but one game. The only team to hold Jennings under 10 points was Minnesota, which limited him to nine points.

• G Luke Ridnour has been shooting the ball well. Ridnour had connected on 15-of-27 field-goal attempts in three games—55.5 percent—before going 2-for-4 against the Spurs on Monday night.

Medical Watch:

• G Michael Redd (strained left patella tendon) returned to action Monday night against the Spurs after missing nine straight games. Redd came off the bench and played 11 minutes, scoring four points.

• F Luc Mbah a Moute (sprained left foot) is traveling with the team and is listed as day-to-day. He didn't play against the Spurs on Monday night.

• C Andrew Bogut (left leg strain and contusion) sat out his third straight game Monday night against the Spurs. Bogut isn't expected to return to action for at least another two weeks.

• F Joe Alexander (right hamstring tear) hasn't played in any preseason or regular-season games. He will likely be sidelined until early January.