WI Sports HeroicsWI Sports Heroics

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot
    Devonte Wyatt, Packers

    From which college have the Green Bay Packers drafted the most players in the last 10 years?

    February 3, 2023
    Who is Ben Sirmans?

    Who Is Ben Sirmans? Get To Know The Packers’ Running Backs Coach

    February 3, 2023
    Who is John Dunn?

    Who Is John Dunn? Get To Know The Packers’ Tight End Coach

    February 3, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • From which college have the Green Bay Packers drafted the most players in the last 10 years?
    • Who Is Ben Sirmans? Get To Know The Packers’ Running Backs Coach
    • Who Is John Dunn? Get To Know The Packers’ Tight End Coach
    • Aaron Rodgers: Proposed Trade Exchanges Quarterback for Former First Round Wide Receiver
    • Should The Packers Pursue A Trade for Bengals’ Tee Higgins?
    • Giannis Antetokounmpo Wants More After Tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 50-Point Feat
    • 3 Free Agent Safeties the Packers Should Target
    • Fifty years later, the Milwaukee Brewers are using twice as many pitchers in games
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Mark Mayfield
    • Our Writers
    • Store
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    WI Sports HeroicsWI Sports Heroics
    SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
    • Packers
      • Aaron Rodgers News
      • Packers News
      • Packers Rumors
      • Packers History
    • Bucks
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo News
      • Bucks News
      • Bucks Rumors
    • Brewers
      • Brewers News
      • Brewers Rumors
    • Badgers
      • Wisconsin Badgers Football
      • Wisconsin Badgers Basketball
      • Wisconsin Badgers Women’s Basketball
      • Wisconsin Badgers Volleyball
      • Wisconsin Badgers Hockey
      • Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling
    • Marquette
      • Marquette Basketball
    • Draft
      • 2023 NFL Draft Big Board & Scouting Reports
      • 2023 NFL Mock Drafts
    • Milkmen
      • Milwaukee Milkmen News
      • Milwaukee Milkmen Rumors
    • Podcasts
      • CheeseDads Sports
      • Packers Podcast
      • Wickett On Wisconsin
    • Fantasy
    • NFL
    WI Sports HeroicsWI Sports Heroics
    Home»Sports»Bucks»Bucks-Lakers Preview: The Stars are Out in LA
    Bucks

    Bucks-Lakers Preview: The Stars are Out in LA

    Michael ReganBy Michael ReganMarch 31, 2021Updated:October 6, 2022No Comments8 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    1205553244.jpg.0
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    After a 12-2 run that covered both sides of the All-Star Break, the Bucks have lost three in a row to fall 2.5 games back of both the Nets and Sixers at the top of the East. Uninspiring losses to the Celtics and Clippers – the latter seeing Milwaukee outscored by 36 over the last three quarters – have led to a significant dampening of the mood around this team. It doesn’t get easier from here either with the Lakers, Trail Blazers, and Mavs headlining the remaining five games of this Western Conference road trip.

    The good news is that the Bucks are still 29-17. As we’ve seen, they’re still close to the Nets and Sixers, and both of those teams are due for a cool-down as well. There’s no reason to pound the alarm, especially with a weakened Lakers team up tonight. This is a great opportunity to get back on track. 

    FAST FACTS – 

    The Game: Milwaukee Bucks (29-17) @ Los Angeles Lakers (30-17)

    The Place: Los Angeles, CA

    The Time: 9:00 Central

    The TV: ESPN

    The Likely Starters: 

    Bucks – Holiday, DiVincenzo, Middleton, G. Antetokounmpo, Lopez 

    Lakers – Schroder, Caldwell-Pope, Kuzma, Morris, Drummond. This is the lineup the Lakers have started with in three consecutive games with one change – new signing Drummond is in for Marc Gasol. 

    Injury Report:

    Bucks: Rodions Kurucs (abdominal injury), Bobby Portis (covid protocols), and PJ Tucker (calf) are all listed as out. At this point, it’s very possible that Portis will be out for a few more weeks. There haven’t been many details released, but the fourth game missed would probably suggest Portis has the virus himself. 

    Lakers: Star Jared Dudley (knee) is out. Lesser known role players in Anthony Davis (achilles) and LeBron James (ankle) will also be out tonight. 

    WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LAKERS – 

    • LeBron and AD are out

    This is the main story surrounding the Lakers right now. Davis hasn’t played since February 14 (19 games). Los Angeles is just 9-10 since. James has missed the last five games, and the Lakers are 2-3 in those and really struggling offensively, where they rank 29th in scoring efficiency. With both out, LA’s only wins came over the Cavs and Magic, two teams that are a combined 7-17 in March. Since Davis went down, the Lakers have won only two of six games against teams above .500. 

    The numbers, the eye test, the narratives, and the records will all tell us the same obvious thing – James and Davis are absolutely crucial to this team’s success. It’s not a very complicated idea. Without one, and especially both, the Lakers are at a severe disadvantage. The Bucks need to take care of business against this diminished version of last year’s champion. 

    With those two out, this team is obviously going to look very different, so let’s find some themes from the last five games – 

    • Look for Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell to score 

    Both have scored at least 15 points each in every game since James went down. Schroder is averaging 14 points on the season and Harrell is at 13, so this isn’t a surprise. Both are key rotation players capable of taking on a bigger scoring role if needed, and that’s what they’ve done recently.

    Harrell will do all of his work inside the arc. He’s 0-9 from three this year. One thing to watch with him – he’s taking a ton of free throws right now. Despite averaging less than four per game on the season, he’s taken eight per game over the last five. He’s shot at least eight free throws in four of those five games. Expect to see him attacking and looking for fouls all night long.

    Schroder is at least a viable threat from beyond the arc, but he doesn’t take that many threes either. A lot of his work – about 75% of his field goal attempts – will come from inside the three-point line. Expect him to fight to get to the line as well; he’s taken 9 or more free throws in three of these last five games. 

    • Kuzma the main perimeter threat

    Kuzma has led LA in three-point attempts in four of the last five games. He took fifteen triples against the Magic last time out. The good news is that he hasn’t been particularly effective, shooting 14-43 from deep. That’s good for 32.6%, which is a few ticks below the typical league average. The question is whether this mini-slump (Kuzma is shooting just below 37% from deep on the year) is due to a cold streak or the increased attention that defenses can now give him. If it’s the former, it would be very Bucks to see Kuzma go 9-11 from deep tonight. Either way, expect to see a huge shot volume from him. He’s led the Lakers in shots in four of these five games.  

    • Morris, KCP, and old friend Wes Matthews worth watching beyond the arc

    Morris is the only Laker other than Kuzma to have made multiple threes in more than one game during this stretch. KCP and Matthews are the third and fourth Lakers that have made 3+ threes in one of these games. All three are still very much role players. They’ll play defense and get some shots in the flow of the offense, but don’t expect a whole lot else. Morris, for example, has yet to make an unassisted three this season. With that said, locking them down and preventing a hot shooting night from either of these guys would go a long way. LA is probably going to need one of these role players to step up in a big way if they want to win tonight.  

    • Don’t be surprised to see Talen Horton-Tucker find his own shot

    Horton-Tucker has been doing it all year with about 58% of his twos unassisted, but there’s obviously more room for him now. His role has been very inconsistent in these games, but he’s taken 10+ shots in a few of them. The good thing for the Bucks is that he’s been terribly inefficient, shooting just 16-41 (39%) from the floor since LeBron went down. That’s not good, and an experienced team like the Bucks should be able to force him into contested looks. 

    • Drummond will make debut

    The Bucks and Brook Lopez are going to need to be ready. Milwaukee is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, but they’re coming off a terrible showing against the Clippers, who won the rebounding battle 46-32. If Drummond – the best rebounder in the league by pure volume – is allowed to control the boards tonight, the Lakers will have a much greater chance at taking this one and giving the Bucks their fourth consecutive loss. 

    giannis crown

    WHAT TO WATCH –

    • Milwaukee’s energy

    The Bucks played a great first quarter against the Clippers before everything went wrong in a complete collapse. Can they sustain a strong effort for more than 12 minutes tonight? This would be a really nice one to have given the current situation of the Lakers and the current East standings. Seeing a determined effort from tip to buzzer would be a great sign for this team’s ability to buckle down and do what needs to be done. 

    • Getting Brook’s efficiency up

    Lopez is still well below 30% from deep in March. He was a good 8-15 from the floor against the Knicks and Clippers, so that’s a good sign. So is his high scoring volume from this month. It’s not really happening with consistent efficiency though, and Lopez’s ability to hit some threes come the spring and summer could determine how this season ends. We need to get his three-point hit rate before the playoffs start. 

    • Finding someone to step up with Portis and Tucker out

    Sam Merrill took advantage in the Celtics loss with 15 points in 20 minutes. We all know what Thanasis and Jordan Nwora did against the Knicks. Who steps up tonight? No one outside of the Big Three scored more than 8 points against the Clippers. That’s not an ideal formula for success.

    • Let the stars be stars

    With LeBron and AD out, there’s quite simply a massive talent difference at the top of this game. The Lakers cannot handle Giannis and Khris going at them for 40 minutes, so let them do just that. Feed the best players on the court, and the game should be ours. 

     

    Prediction: Bucks 117, Lakers 98. Let’s get back on track.

     

    Follow For More!

    Follow me on Twitter @MikeRegan09. Check out our merch page as well. Use promo code WISCO at checkout for $1 off! To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!

    [pickup_prop id=”2722″]

     

    #MilwaukeeBucks Giannis Lakers LeBron NBA
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Michael Regan

    Related Posts

    giannis antetokounmpo dunk bulls lavine watches

    Giannis Antetokounmpo on pace to break Bucks’ home scoring record

    February 3, 2023
    Kareem LeBron

    LeBron James Opens Up On Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA Record

    February 3, 2023
    Bucks, Giannis

    Bucks: Giannis Scores 54, Leads Milwaukee to 106-105 Win After 21-Point Deficit vs Clippers

    February 3, 2023
    Jrue Holiday, Bucks, All-Star

    Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday’s 2nd All-Star Selection Made NBA History

    February 2, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    TRENDING
    Devonte Wyatt, Packers

    From which college have the Green Bay Packers drafted the most players in the last 10 years?

    February 3, 2023
    Who is Ben Sirmans?

    Who Is Ben Sirmans? Get To Know The Packers’ Running Backs Coach

    February 3, 2023
    Who is John Dunn?

    Who Is John Dunn? Get To Know The Packers’ Tight End Coach

    February 3, 2023
    Proposed trade sends Aaron Rodgers to 49ers

    Aaron Rodgers: Proposed Trade Exchanges Quarterback for Former First Round Wide Receiver

    February 3, 2023
    Tee Higgins, Bengals, Packers

    Should The Packers Pursue A Trade for Bengals’ Tee Higgins?

    February 3, 2023
    Giannis Antetokounmpo

    Giannis Antetokounmpo Wants More After Tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 50-Point Feat

    February 3, 2023
    WI Sports Heroics
    Facebook Twitter
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisement
    • Privacy Policy
    • Store
    © 2023 WISportsHeroics All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.