MILWAUKEE -- Home, sweet home. Or is it?
While the Milwaukee Bucks are certainly looking forward to spending an extended period time at home, the BMO Harris Bradley Center hasn't been too kind to them this season.
The Bucks have the worst home record among the current playoff teams in the Eastern Conference at 7-6. Milwaukee would certainly take its 7-6 record on the road, but the Bucks know they must better protect the home court if they want to make a serious run at the end of the season.
Winning at home isn't something new this season, in fact, the Bucks are just 46-41 on their home court dating back to 2010.
"We'd still like to play better at home," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "We haven't played well enough at home.
"Our approach has got to be right. We've got to come out ready to play, start the halves. All that stuff. That's something that has not been a strength of ours yet."
Including Saturday's loss to the Cavaliers, Milwaukee plays three straight games at home for the first time this season. They've only played back-to-back games at home three times this season. The Bucks will play six of their next nine games at home before venturing out on a four-game road trip that starts in Toronto and takes them to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Portland.
There are some key games at home included in the next nine games. Brooklyn and Miami come to Milwaukee next week, and San Antonio and Houston come the following week.
After playing four games in five nights, the Bucks took Sunday off and will practice early on Christmas Eve before taking the holiday off.
Udrih on the mend: Since backup point guard Beno Udrih went out on Nov. 30 with a sprained ankle, the Bucks have been thin in the backcourt.
Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis have been forced to play major minutes, and it's taking a toll on them. Both have played through nagging injuries and could use a bit of a lightened workload. Rookie second-round pick Doron Lamb has been the only backup guard on the roster, and while he's held his own, he doesn't bring what Udrih does.
Simply put, Milwaukee needs Udrih back, and it appears that could happen next week. Udrih was out working out on the court prior to Saturday's loss to Cleveland and could be ready to play as early as Wednesday when the Bucks host the Nets.
Before his injury, Udrih was averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 assists per game in 18 minutes per game off the bench.
Streak ended: Prior to Saturday's loss to Cleveland, the Bucks had won nine in a row over the Cavaliers. Milwaukee had last lost to the Cavaliers on Nov. 24, 2010 and hadn't dropped a home contest in the series since Dec. 6, 2009.
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