The Bucks, who take a 19-22 record on the trip, have been unable to make a serious run at the .500 mark. Since just before Christmas, they have followed all six of their victories with a defeat.

"It's B.S.," said forward Richard Jefferson. "We're not doing the things that we're supposed to. That goes for me, too."

Jefferson pointed out that the Bucks' record could easily be worse had they not been able to dodge some bullets in recent games.

"You can look at a couple games that we very easily could have lost," he said. "The Washington game, they out-played us most of the game. The Toronto game, they out-played us most of the game. The Jersey game. So we haven't been playing good Basketball. I have to pick up my game. I have to play better, especially late. We have to do more of the things we're supposed to."

Said guard Luke Ridnour: "We've got to do some damage on this road trip."

The Bucks last winning streak was when they won three straight from Dec. 19-23. But, on the other side of the coin, they have not had a losing streak since they lost three straight on their last Western trip from Dec. 7-10.

Milwaukee followed a home victory over Utah on Dec. 23 with a home loss to Detroit. The Bucks then split two games in Texas against San Antonio and Houston. The Bucks won one of two back-to-back games against Charlotte. They beat Toronto at home and then lost to Philadelphia at home. The Bucks beat New Jersey at home but then lost at Minnesota. They won at Washington but then were defeated by Miami at the Bradley Center on Wednesday.

Win one, lose one.

"It means that we're not consistent enough yet, obviously," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. "It's better than having some sort of prolonged losing streak but our goal is not to win one, and then lose one all the time. If you look at what the really good clubs do . . . they don't do that. We want to be a really good club so we just have to become more consistent."

Bogut's absence will not help. He missed four recent games because of the back spasms but felt well enough to return against Minnesota last Saturday. He did not start and played 28 minutes in that game. Two nights later in Washington, he was back in the starting lineup, played 39 minutes but felt his back flare up again late in the game.

He played 37 minutes against Miami on Wednesday but expressed some serious concern about the condition of his back afterward. On Thursday, Bogut visited a back specialist, who suggested rest and so the decision was made that he would not travel with the team.

"It's going to need some more rest so there's no point in going on the trip because I wouldn't even play in the Portland game," he said. "So there's no point in going out there. It's one of those things where I'll have to get treatment around the clock. A lot of rest. A lot of pills. And hopefully by mid- to late next week, I'll be back on the floor."

Bogut called the injury "scary" after the Miami game.

"It gets scary when sometimes you're just lying down and you start getting pain without even doing anything," he said. "That's what gets scary."

Dan Gadzuric has started in the past when Bogut has been sidelined, but Skiles declined to name a starter after practice on Thursday, suggesting that he was considering other options.

"We may change the lineup in another way to try to make up for Andrew's absence," said Skiles. "We're talking about that so we'll see."

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