ST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- Bucks guard Monta Ellis was involved in a minor fender bender Tuesday, causing him to miss practice.
Milwauke coach Jim Boylan said Ellis was OK after the minor accident and should be in Milwaukee's starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Philadelphia. After scoring just eight points in Saturday's loss to Detroit, Ellis bounced back Monday with 24 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and six steals.
It was the 21st consecutive time Ellis has followed a single-digit performance by scoring at least 10 points in the next game. Ellis has not had consecutive single-digit scoring games since 2007.
Since coming to the Bucks in a trade last March, Ellis' scoring has been down from the gaudy scoring numbers he was posting in Golden State, and he's shooting a career-worst 39.9 percent from the field this season.
When asked after Monday's game why his game has been different in Milwaukee, Ellis said he's just doing what he's asked to do as a player.
"It's not the same system I was in, in Golden State, either," Ellis said. "When I was at Golden State, they put me in a lot of different positions, not just pick-and-rolls, spot-up shots. They posted me, got me at the elbow, isos.
"Coming here, it's a more set offense. So it's different. So you're not going to get the same Monta that you get in Golden State. I just have to adjust to the system that I'm in and try to do the best I could."
Getting it checked out: Bucks center Larry Sanders spent his Tuesday in Chicago getting a second opinion on his bruised lower back.
The Bucks won't officially rule Sanders out for the final game before the All-Star break, but it's unlikely he will play against the 76ers.
"That's the way it looks right now," Boylan said. "If you had to put the pieces together, you'd probably come to that conclusion. But you hold out hope."
Milwaukee is 1-4 this season with Sanders out of the lineup and 0-3 in games he's missed since suffering a scary fall Feb. 5 while trying to take a charge.
Sanders has developed into one of the NBA's best interior defenders and is the league's leader in blocked shots. Without the fourth-year center in the lane, opponents don't have the same fear in their minds when they drive the lane. It's hard to pinpoint or quantify his defensive impact, but the Bucks have allowed 102.3 points per game in the three games without him during this four-game losing streak.
"Just like when anyone gets injured, you need the people behind them to step up," Boylan said. "You can look at it as an opportunity for someone to show what they can do. You can only play the guys on the bench and guys that are ready to get out there and play. There's no magic formula to it."
Follow Andrew Gruman on Twitter.
