It would be easy, though maybe tough on the wallet, for the Bucks to suggest their 118-107 loss to Los Angeles Tuesday night may have had something to do with playing five-on-eight basketball.
That's not quite the way things get done in this organization.
"The losing mindset is to look at other people to blame," said head coach Scott Skiles. "That's generally not what winners are doing and if that was what we're doing that's not a good sign."
Still, the numbers don't lie. The Lakers held a 19-1 advantage in free throw attempts after the first quarter. The number evened out in the end (Los Angeles -- 29, Bucks -- 27), but the Bucks need to get to the line more to win, especially when the shots aren't falling.
The addition of Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden were made with the charity stripe in mind. Maggette, especially, is the type of player to put the ball on the floor, drive to the basket and draw contact.
There has been a noticeable improvement from last year, when the Bucks went to the line 1,264 times while opponents attempted 1,692 free throws. This year, the Bucks attempted 249 free throws compared to 233 for opponents (entering play Tuesday).
Monitoring Maggette's minutes: Before the season, many wondered whether or not Maggette would earn a spot in the starting lineup but so far, the veteran forward has played primarily off the bench.
He's become the team's top scoring threat off the bench, which is one reason for his current role but at the same time, Skiles is trying to watch Maggette's minutes after he underwent surgery arthroscopic surgery on his ankle during the summer.
Skiles spoke with Maggette about his playing time, assuring him that he wants to keep him fresh for later in the season.
"It shows the character he has a coach, coming and talking to me," Maggette said. "I totally respect him as a coach doing that. "Sometimes it might not be what you expect early on, but you've just got to continue to follow through. I'm happy for my teammates right now. We're struggling on offense, but we've found our niche with the defense and we're kicking in. Hopefully by mid-season or January we completely have our offense in, or if not then after the all-star break, where we're clicking on all cylinders."
Trying something different: The Bucks had a lot of success last season pairing point guards Brandon Jennings and Luke Ridnour together in the backcourt. Looking for some kind of spark Tuesday, Scott Skiles went with three point guards -- Jennings, Keyon Dooling and Earl Boykins.
Bogut climbs higher: With 12 points and 18 rebounds Tuesday, Bogut continued to move up the Bucks' all-time list in both categories. Bogut is now seventh all-time with 4,340 points, moving into second place past Jay Humphries, who scored 4,336 between 1987 and '92. He's now seventh in team history with 3,103 rebounds, passing Jack Sickma (3,087 '86-'91) and fifth in blocks (475), passing Randy Breuer (474, '83-'90).
Jump shots: Bucks' 10-game streak of holding opponents under 100 points ended Tuesday ... Bogut has four double-doubles this season while Drew Gooden has three ... Kobe Bryant's 31 points were an individual high for a Milwaukee opponent this season ... Carlos Delfino missed his fourth straight game because of a strained neck suffered Nov. 6 against New Orleans.
Up next: The Bucks hit the road this week for a Friday night game against the 76ers in Philadelphia. The game won't be televised, but it will be broadcast on WTMJ-AM and the Bucks Radio Network. They return home Saturday night to take on Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Bradley Center.
