by TOM ENLUND, Staff, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Bucks held a one-point lead over the Denver Nuggets late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's game at the Bradley Center when the Bucks dumped the ball into center Andrew Bogut in the low post. Drawing a double-team, Bogut pitched it out to rookie guard Brandon Jennings, who drilled a three-pointer to give the Bucks a 94-90 lead with 4 minutes 7 seconds left.

That shot ignited a run of nine straight points that put the Bucks ahead by 10 with 2:41 left. While it might seem like a simple Basketball play, it was an indicator of how well Bogut and Jennings are learning to play together.

"He's understanding how to play off me and vice versa," said Bogut after Thursday's practice at the team's training facility.

But it's not just the inside-out game.

Bogut and Jennings are also getting good at running a high screen-and-roll game - often late in the shot clock - that frequently leads to scores.

"I'm setting a lot of pick-and-rolls for him, and he's doing a hell of a job," said Bogut. "He's playing very, very well and we're starting to figure each other out a little bit."

Asked about the high screen-and-roll, Bogut said, "Whenever (the offense) breaks down, it's a good thing to have in your back pocket."

Coach Scott Skiles said that the coaches noticed early the potential that Bogut and Jennings had to play together and now the combination is beginning to flourish.

"From the beginning, when we first started playing, we could tell there was some chemistry there between those two guys," Skiles said. "Both guys are highly skilled guys with good hands. Andrew is a good screener. He gets to the front of the rim quickly and he can catch and he can finish.

"Brandon has the ability to be able to do both . . . penetrate and make some good plays and also make some shots. And so does Luke Ridnour. Luke can come off and knock down those shots too. When you have a good, skilled big man who can set a screen and roll to the front of the rim, that's always good offense."

Early offense: Bogut scored 13 of his 23 points in the first quarter Wednesday.

"We want to go to him early in the game," said Skiles. "We feel he's obviously skilled enough and playing well enough to warrant that.

"He had some easy looks, he just wasn't making them. He's able, early in games now, generally at least get us some easy looks at the basket."

Coughing it up: One downside of Wednesday's game was the Bucks' 21 turnovers, nine of which occurred in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee's turnovers led to 23 Denver points. The Nuggets had 13 turnovers, leading to eight Bucks points.

"We're turning it over too much," said Skiles. "We're on a four-game turnover tear here. We've got to get that corrected."

Copyright 2009, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

Copyright 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.