Two contending teams dwelling on brief losing streaks look to get back on track Thursday night when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles was one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight in a row, before losing back-to-back games in Boston and Brooklyn. They fell to the Nets 111-108 on Monday without LeBron James.
“I don’t think being shorthanded is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We ball-watched all night. They probably made six to seven uncontested (3-pointers). Just shortcuts; you got to do the hard stuff.”
The Bucks come in off a heartbreaker as they lost 115-114 to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night in Indianapolis thanks to Tyrese Haliburton’s running 3-pointer that became a game-winning 4-point play in the final seconds.
It marked the Bucks’ third straight loss and a missed opportunity against a team they’re battling in the Eastern Conference standings.
“I thought our turnovers really hurt us. … we had bad turnovers tonight,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “They were the type of turnovers that they (the Pacers) get, we made turnovers that you just can’t make in a playoff game.”
The Bucks turned the ball over 15 times in the defeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.7 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Damian Lillard is dishing out just over seven assists a night and Brook Lopez averages 1.9 blocks.
James leads the Lakers with 25 points and 8.5 assists per game. In 12 games since joining the team, Luka Doncic has averaged 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and eight assists.
On the injury front, James remains out with a groin strain that will bench him for at least 1-2 weeks. Rui Hachimura (knee) is out for the team’s entire road trip. Jaxson Hayes (knee) and Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) missed Monday’s game and their status for Thursday has yet to be determined.
For Milwaukee, Bobby Portis (suspension) remains out. Tyler Smith (back) and Chris Livingston (illness) both missed Tuesday’s game as well.
Thursday’s game marks their first meeting this season — with the other happening next Thursday in Los Angeles.
The Lakers have won two in a row over Milwaukee thanks to last year’s entertaining sweep. The Lakers won 123-122 in Los Angeles before taking a 128-124 double overtime victory in Milwaukee.
James also missed last year’s visit to Fiserv Forum. Antetokounmpo notched 29 points and 21 rebounds, and Lillard had 27 points and eight assists in the latest meeting. Before last season, the Lakers had not swept Milwaukee since 2009-10.
The Lakers lead the NBA in one specific stat: field goal percentage in the restricted area (72.3 percent). Antetokounmpo and Lopez will play a key role in stopping those shots, as will Jericho Sims, who was acquired at the deadline and has seen increased playing time with Portis out.
