Milwaukee Bucks: Late tip again (9 pm CST) on ESPN
The (41-22) Milwaukee Bucks take on the (34-30) Los Angeles Lakers Friday Night in downtown LA at the Crypto Arena. The Lakers have been up and down all season, winning the inaugural NBA In-Season tournament and then also experiencing multiple four-game losing streaks.
Of course the same could be said about the Bucks: changing coaches, adding in Damian Lillard and adding Pat Bev have not been moves of “inactivity”.
This is the first time this season these two teams have played. They will square off in Milwaukee on March 26th.
LA has some veteran players who may or may not suit up tonight. Keep your eyes peeled here to WiSportsHeroics for news and updates.
Related: Last Season Bucks vs Lakers Game One Preview
Keys for the Milwaukee Bucks
Score more than 9 points in the 4th quarter
What was that about? Against Golden State in a loss Milwaukee only managed 9 points in the 4th quarter. This season, especially of late, Milwaukee had been the best scoring team in the NBA in the fourth quarter! Dame had a nice three-pointer in the 4th and Giannis hit a nice 18-footer but the offense needed a lot more than that.
This game might come down to 4th quarter output. Lillard will need to attack the basket more, draw a couple of fouls and put in a couple of “cheap ones”. That really should be the only bump they need to play better in the 4th.
Related: Guessing out the Bucks record
Rebound the ball
In the loss to Golden State, Milwaukee only managed 36 rebounds. When the Bucks out-rebound their opponent they win.
Giannis is the team’s top rebounder (11.2 per game) as expected. But what needs to improve is the inside presence of Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez. Portis is only averaging 7.1 rebounds a game; right on his career average of 7 a game. But during the Bucks championship season, he was up around 8. Now I get, “It is only a rebound”? Right? But that is not the point. The point is again for Portis to keep establishing that inside presence.
The same goes for Lopez. Lopez is averaging 5.4 rebounds a game, below his career average of 6.2 a game.
For both Lopez and Portis to assert a stronger inside presence for just 3 or 4 additional possessions a game: that would simply make a world of a difference.
The Opponent: The Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have caught a little bit of the injury bug. Jared Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood and Colin Castleton are all out. Lebron James and Anthony Davis are also hurt but could play.
Lebron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, passing former Buck Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Congrats go out to King James. Years ago I dreamt about the possibility that he would want to have his son play for Milwaukee and have his “swan song” season be with the Bucks and Giannis. (It has still been one of my most all-time read articles.)
Anthony Davis, Lebron’s ‘Space Jam’ partner in crime, continues to play well. He is currently 4th in the NBA in rebounding. (12.3 per game) Davis is also 5th in the league in blocks and is 16th in scoring.
While it is always important for the Lakers to have their “big two” play, Davis really is the one who fuels the engine.
D’Angelo Russel is having a nice season. Averaging over 17 a game he has provided the Lakers with a nice scoring threat.
Austin Reaves also is playing well. The Oklahoma grad is in his second season and has made a nice jump, both in terms of scoring and playing time. The Jae Crowder vs Austin Reaves match-up will have a big impact on the outcome of this game.
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- Here is the shot LeBron James sunk last year to become the league’s all-time leading scorer. Check out that shot here.
- No expansion team in pro sports history earned a championship quicker than the Bucks, who captured the 1971 NBA title in just their third season of existence.
Follow me on Twitter at @authorrudylb and check out my other writings at www.rudylb.com. Follow us at @WiSportsHeroics for all things Wisconsin sports. Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!