Also disturbing was the Bucks' propensity to foul, a bad habit that has them ranked a dubious first in the National Basketball Association in opponents' free throw attempts (436 over 13 games, a 33.5 average). Milwaukee also is No. 1 in the league in fouls per game (26.2), ahead of No. 2 New Jersey (25.6) and No. 3 Boston (24.1).

It's clear the team is still struggling to integrate coach Scott Skiles' defensive concepts, even as it has dealt with injuries to Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva.

"Our team defense has improved but our individual defense still needs a lot of work," Skiles said. "We get a little bit lazy off the ball, then somebody back-cuts us and our first instinct is to grab them. (In Denver) they were driving us all over the place, and we kept putting our hands on them instead of moving our feet.

"We just have habits we have to get better at. Each guy has to be more conscientious about his own man and stay within our team defensive scheme. We've gotten better with that. But individually, when people really attack us, we still haven't responded well enough yet."

The Bucks return home tonight to play the New York Knicks, a brief stopover at the Bradley Center before they resume their nomadic life with a four-game Eastern swing that begins Saturday night in Charlotte.

Bucks players, from the rookies to the veterans, know they have to keep working to play the defense Skiles demands. They took a major step backward Tuesday in a 114-105 loss to the Nuggets while giving up 48 free-throw attempts (Denver converted 40).

On Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, the Jazz converted 28 of 36 foul shots in a 105-94 victory.

"There's going to be a night where some team is going to shoot a big number of free throws," Skiles said. "And we're going to look at the tape, and it's going to be because we were really aggressive.

"But most of the time if you have a high foul game, it's because you didn't have enough energy defensively, not the other way."

Bucks forward Austin Croshere played most of his career with the Indiana Pacers and became well-acquainted with Skiles' Chicago Bulls teams.

The 33-year-old Croshere said he thought the Bucks eventually could embrace their coach's philosophy.

"I always liked the way his teams played," Croshere said. "They've always been hard-nosed teams. I think we've shown signs at times of being that hard-nosed team that comes out to play every night.

"There have been parts of nights where we haven't showed up. It's a process of buying into the new coach's philosophy and preparing yourself to play that style every night."

Skiles said the Bucks had to discard the notion that they will be able to outscore other teams and instead take a gritty approach that has worked for a number of elite NBA teams.

"Utah, San Antonio and maybe a couple others, you have to respect the way they do it," Skiles said.

The Bucks received a tutorial from coach Jerry Sloan's Jazz team as it rallied from a 10-point, third-quarter deficit on Wednesday and limited Milwaukee to 18 points in the fourth quarter.

"They play hard, they play defense and they have a good offensive system," Skiles said. "If you don't want to do it, you're going to be gone. They don't tolerate a lot of nonsense. As a result, they've got a lot of success."

The Jazz also features one of the top shot-blockers in the game in 6-foot-9 forward Andrei Kirilenko, who had five steals and four blocks against the Bucks and caused havoc all over the court. Kirilenko stole a handoff by Bucks guard Ramon Sessions and sprinted down court for a fast-break dunk in the fourth quarter, an incredibly savvy play and a game-changing one.

Milwaukee's move to a more defensive approach also will depend on personnel moves, such as the one that brought rookie forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to the roster as a second-round pick. The 6-8 Mbah a Moute already has been relied on to guard everyone from Toronto's Chris Bosh to Washington's Caron Butler to Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire.

But every player on the roster is being counted on to improve his individual defensive game while also embracing the team defensive strategy.

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