THE Lakers will continue their current six-game home streak Friday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks. This will be the first time the two teams have faced each other this season and they are expected to meet again later this month.
Start time and TV schedule
WHO: the Los Angeles Lakers against the Milwaukee Bucks
When: 7 p.m. PT, March 8
Or: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ESPN, Sportsnet Spectrum
The Lakers endured their worst defeat of the season against the Sacramento Kings in embarrassing fashion. After being up by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, LA gave up 59 points in 14.5 minutes, putting the Kings up by 22 points. This here points to the Lakers’ defense, which has been their biggest problem in a long list of things since the All-Star break.
The Lakers are ranked 28th in the league in defensive rating since the All-Star break and only the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks have been worse. Los Angeles’ decline on defense is largely due to the absence of Jarred Vanderbilt and their current perimeter defense, which was not the case last year.
Remember, last season’s post-trade deadline team that made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals had the best defense in the league heading into the playoffs. If this Lakers team has the same plans to make a similar run again – which they have no choice but to try to do now – they will have to find a way to improve on that side of the ball. THE imminent return of Gabe Vincent the end of the month could help but is it enough to save this Lakers team?
I emphasized the Lakers’ defense because it needs to be on point against the Bucks, who have the fifth-best offense in the league. Like the Lakers, the Bucks have struggled to find consistency on the defensive side of the ball all season, but they have been able to lean on their offense and that is one of the main reasons they are in the second seed in the Eastern Conference. This is the same team that is also 6-1 since the All-Star break.
If the purple and gold want a shot to beat the Bucks, they can start by preventing their backcourt of Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley from outperforming theirs. Last game, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk accounted for 70 of the Kings’ 130 points, while D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves had just 28. Someone needs to keep up with the Bucks’ scoring output .
Then there’s Anthony Davis against the Bucks front court, particularly Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. Davis is more than capable of holding his own defensively against them, but he’ll need a ton of help from Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and the rest of the Lakers’ wings. Plus, it would be nice if AD finally gets going on offense after scoring just 14 points and being completely dominated by Domantas Sabonis.
The Kings exposed and criticized the Lakers on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how they recover from their worst loss of the season. Let’s see if there’s any hope left for this Lakers team as they take on one of the best teams in the league on Friday.
Notes and updates:
- For the Lakers injury report, Anthony Davis (bilateral Achilles tendinopathy) and Cam Reddish (sprained right ankle) are probable.
- LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy), who left the game at the end of the fourth quarter Wednesday, is listed as questionable for this one. Meanwhile, Christian Wood (left knee effusion), Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) and Collin Castleton (right wrist fracture) are all out.
- For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo (left Achilles tendonitis) is probable while Khris Middleton (left ankle sprain) is out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglanI
