By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net
MILWAUKEE — Winning on the road in the NBA is not an art, but a learned skill. That’s what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich believes.
It can take young players a while to come to grips with the intensity and focus needed to win games away from the comforts of home. On the road, every mistake is magnified, every possession hyper-critical.
As the Spurs proved in Tuesday’s 106-103 loss to Milwaukee at the Bradley Center, a game in which a rookie might have helped engineer a victory if not for late mistakes from the team’s most veteran hands, even old dogs can struggle to remember old tricks.
“We’ve always been able to go into places and keep our composure, make less mistakes than our opponents,” Tim Duncan said after the Spurs dropped to 0-4 on the road.
“We’re making too many mistakes right now.”
Stephen Jackson torched his old team for 34 points and eight assists, and Andrew Bogut had 14 points and 11 rebounds in his first game in more than a week, as the Bucks broke a five-game losing streak and kept the Spurs skidding on the road.
Down the stretch, many of the Spurs’ wounds were self-inflicted.
All-Star point guard Tony Parker made perhaps the game’s most momentous miscue in the final minute.
Down one, the Spurs (6-4) had a chance to take the lead when Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings poked the ball out of Parker’s hands to Jackson. The turnover gave way to a run-out dunk for Jennings and a three-point lead for the Bucks with 53.8 seconds to go.
On the Spurs’ next possession, Duncan ran over Bogut for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to Milwaukee.
Later, Duncan all but accused the Bucks center — playing his first game after missing four while dealing with a family emergency in his native Australia — of flopping.
“I enjoy banging with him,” Duncan said. “I don’t enjoy him falling down on the last play and them calling a charge.”
Even Popovich, he of 803 NBA victories, copped to choking in crunch time.
After Milwaukee’s final possession ended with a jump ball between Jackson and DeJuan Blair with 14.3 seconds left, which Blair won, Popovich wanted a timeout to set up a potential game-tying 3-pointer.
Instead of mentioning this desire to an official, Popovich tried in vain to have one of his players make the call.
Though the mad scramble that ensued produced an open, albeit unsuccessful, look for Richard Jefferson, Popovich believed a drawn-up play could have gotten something better.
“I should have been all over the official to get the timeout, and I didn’t do it,” Popovich said.
The Spurs’ mistakes, Duncan said, add up for opposing teams. Milwaukee (3-6) shot 51.8 percent, the third straight team to top 50 percent against the Spurs.
“They’re adding up into points, they’re adding up into high percentages,” Duncan said. “They’re adding up into losses.”
The late-game miscues ruined the first 20-point game of the season for Duncan, who also finished with eight rebounds and seven assists. It sullied a season-high 22 points for Parker, who ended with seven turnovers.
It turned a breakout game from rookie small forward Kawhi Leonard into a footnote. After backup point guard T.J. Ford strained a hamstring in the second quarter, shifting shooting guard Gary Neal to point, Leonard started the second half and produced season highs in points (19) and steals (four).
If young players have to learn to win on the road, class was in session for Leonard.
“Every time he gets into an NBA game, it’s going to be a lesson,” Popovich said.
The lessons continued for all the Spurs on Tuesday, not just the young ones. After another fruitless road trip, the Spurs will be back on their home floor tonight at the ATT Center, where they are 6-0.
“You have to play better on the road than you do at home,” Jefferson said. “We have yet to really do that.”
Their next chance comes Jan. 17 at Miami.
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Spurs vs. Bucks 20120110
Milwaukee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut (6) dunks over San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, left, of France, drives against Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut (6) drives against San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Stephen Jackson (5) reacts after drawing an offensive foul on San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter during the first half of an NBA basketball game ,Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Stephen Jackson, bottom, reacts after drawing an offensive foul on San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter (22) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal (14) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks’ Carlos Delfino (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, right, drives against Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Stephen Jackson (5) and San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard, right, look at a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green, right, drives against Milwaukee Bucks’ Tobias Harris during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs’ T.J. Ford grimaces after an injury against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Stephen Jackson (5) is fouled by San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 106-103. Jackson lead all scorers with 34 points. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Stephen Jackson(5) reacts against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 106-103. Jackson lead all scorers with 34 points. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, left, yells at Matt Bonner (15) during a time out against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 106-103. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings (3) battles San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, right, of France, for a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 106-103. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
Milwaukee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut, left, reacts in front of San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) and Richard Jefferson(24) at the end of the game in a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 106-103. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) (AP)
