NBA Roundup : Pressey Does Job for Bucks

It seems that whatever the Milwaukee Bucks need from Paul Pressey he gives it to them. One night they need him to score and another night they need him to set up baskets for his teammates.

In the Bucks’ 120-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night at Richfield, Ohio, he gave them a little of both.

After a hard-fought first half, the Bucks held only a 62-60 lead. But in the third quarter when the Bucks pulled out to a 93-84 lead, Pressey had six points and three assists.

He finished with 21 points, on an 8-for-13 shooting night, with 6 assists. Saturday night, Pressey shot only seven times, but he contributed 12 assists in a 136-113 victory over New Jersey.

Coach Don Nelson calls the 6-5 Pressey a point forward in his offense.

“We put the ball in his hands a lot,” Nelson told the Associated Press recently. “And when you do that, you expect him to do a lot of things with it, and he usually does.”

Pressey, the big guard for two seasons with the Bucks, blossomed last season when he became the small forward. There, his tough defense and his ability to handle the ball have made him a key to the Bucks’ success.

Usually, he either scores often or has assists in double figures. In one of his best games ever last Tuesday, he had 28 points and 12 assists in a 119-117 win over Philadelphia.

“I try to take advantage of whatever the opposition gives me,” said Pressey, who averaged 16 points and seven assists last season. “If they don’t guard me close, I’ll shoot. If they play me tight, I can usually find Sidney (Moncrief) or Terry (Cummings) open.”

The Cavaliers, who were 2-19 at the start of last season, are now 1-4 in another miserable beginning.

Portland 110, New York 96--The Knicks, down to 10 players because of injuries to Pat Cummings and James Bailey, were down to seven before they lost their fifth game in a row in this one at Portland.

Two players fouled out, and guard Darrell Walker was ejected for bumping referee Bennet Salvatore late in the second quarter while protesting a call.

Still, the Knicks were only 10 points down late in the third quarter.