Half-time report
Down three at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers are now in the lead. Sitting on a score of 67-63, they appear to be the better team, but there are still two quarters to play.
The Lakers entered the competition with extra motivation after the loss they suffered the last time these two teams faced each other. We’ll see if they are able to flip the script or if it will just be more of the same.
Who’s playing
Milwaukee Bucks @ Los Angeles Lakers
Current records: Milwaukee 41-22, Los Angeles 34-30
How to watch
- When: Friday March 8, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Or: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, California
- TV: ESPN
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $59.00
What there is to know
The Lakers will be in front of their home fans on Friday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Both teams suffered a loss in their last match, so they will have a lot of motivation to win the “W”.
The point spread may have favored the Lakers last Wednesday, but the final result did not. They fell 130-120 to Sacramento. The loss came despite a Lakers lead of 19 in the first quarter.
The defeat of the Lakers should not overshadow the performances of LeBron James, author of a double-double with 31 points and 13 assists, and Rui Hachimura who scored 29 points and two interceptions. Hachimura didn’t help the Lakers’ cause much against the Thunder on Monday, but the same can’t be said for this contest.
Meanwhile, the Bucks unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Wednesday. They took a serious blow against Golden State, losing 125-90. The result shouldn’t be surprising considering it’s the fewest points the Bucks have scored all season.
Unsurprisingly, given the score, the Bucks struggled to work together and finished the game with just 19 assists. They were destroyed by their opponents in this department as the Warriors racked up 37 assists.
Los Angeles’ loss dropped their record to 34-30. As for Milwaukee, their loss ended a four-game road winning streak and brought them to 41-22.
A high-performance offense is likely on the agenda, as both teams are among the highest-scoring teams in the league. The Lakers have had no problem running up the score this season, averaging 117.2 points per game. However, it’s not like the Bucks (currently ranked third in scoring) are struggling in this department as they are averaging 120.9 points per game. With both teams so easily able to rack up points, the only question that remains is who can run up the score.
The Lakers fell short against the Bucks in their previous matchup in February 2023, losing 115-106. A big factor in this loss was the dominant performance of the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a double-double with 38 points and ten rebounds. Now that the Lakers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There’s only one way to find out.
Odds
Milwaukee is a slight favorite with 1 point against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, since it started with the Lakers as 1-point favorites.
The over/under is 232 points.
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History of the series
Milwaukee has won 7 of its last 10 games against Los Angeles.
- February 9, 2023 – Milwaukee 115 vs. Los Angeles 106
- December 2, 2022 – Los Angeles 133 vs. Milwaukee 129
- February 8, 2022 – Milwaukee 131 vs. Los Angeles 116
- November 17, 2021 – Milwaukee 109 vs. Los Angeles 102
- March 31, 2021 – Milwaukee 112 vs. Los Angeles 97
- January 21, 2021 – Los Angeles 113 vs. Milwaukee 106
- March 6, 2020 – Los Angeles 113 vs. Milwaukee 103
- December 19, 2019 – Milwaukee 111 vs. Los Angeles 104
- March 19, 2019 – Milwaukee 115 vs. Los Angeles 101
- March 1, 2019 – Milwaukee 131 vs. Los Angeles 120
