The Lakers will resume their road trip in Milwaukee, where they will face their former head coach, Darvin Ham and the Bucks for the first time this season. L.A. looks to snap a two-game losing skid, while Milwaukee is currently on a three-game losing streak.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
When: 4:30 PST, Mar 13
Where: Fiserv Forum
Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet
At the risk of sounding like I’m making excuses for the Lakers, the last two games have been really tough for them simply because they’re undermanned. The injury bug has caught up to the purple and gold and now they’re left trying to beat teams with whoever is available.
They will have to do just that again, and this time, it’s against a healthier Bucks team that’s as eager as they are to get back on track.
Milwaukee just lost to the Indiana Pacers in the silliest possible way, so there’s a good chance they will come out aggressive in this one.
Similar to the Lakers, the last thing the Bucks want to do is fall down the Eastern Conference standings, where they’re currently sitting in fourth place.
In terms of the game plan for this one, I’m honestly a little worried for the Lakers because I don’t think they’ll have a cover for MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With Jaxson Hayes out again, coach JJ Redick has to dig in his bag to figure out the Giannis matchup. Will we see L.A. put up a wall against the 6’9 big man? Regardless, it’ll either be the Lakers’ small ball defense or one of Alex Len or Trey Jemison III’s assignments.
Containing Giannis might be a problem for the Lakers, but if they play their cards right, they also have something to throw at the Bucks.
For one, it’ll be ideal if Luka Dončić plays significantly better than he did compared to last Monday’s unforgivable loss to the tanking Brooklyn Nets. Luka needs to have one of those iconic games because that’s the best way L.A. can compensate for their holes.
Besides hoping Dončić explodes, the purple and gold should take advantage of the Bucks’ weak transition defense. They also have to outshoot them from the perimeter and this is where I will mention Austin Reaves and how he needs to get out of his slump since returning from injury.
Los Angeles will not win this game or any moving forward if both Dončić and Reaves don’t show up. If these two get going, the Lakers’ offense should be fine enough to stay afloat.
The Lakers must also contain Damian Lillard, especially if Antetokounmpo will be a tough cover. If you look at most of the Bucks’ losses this season, it’s usually when Lillard plays subpar, so perhaps the Lakers can do something about that.
This game is going to be tough for many reasons, and to add insult to injury, it’s also the first night of a back-to-back as the Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Given that they’re without LeBron James, who has reportedly flown back to Los Angeles to continue recovering from a groin injury, and multiple key players, it’s hard to expect the Lakers to sweep these set back-to-back games.
But this team has surprised us often this season, and it would be nice if they could at least pull an upset in one of these games. Let’s see if the Lakers can do just that in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Notes and Updates
- For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Dončić (right ankle soreness) is questionable.
- Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion), LeBron James (left groin strain) and Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery) are out.
- As for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) and Damian Lillard (right groin soreness) are probable. Chris Livingston (non-COVID illness) is questionable. Bobby Portis (league suspension) is listed as out, while Tyler Smith (back spasms) is doubtful.
- We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
