MILWAUKEE — When the Lakers had been enjoying their finest basketball in February, they had been fueled by the energizing energy of perception, the information that they might win on any night time. Even once they weren’t at their finest, a combination of tempo, toughness and execution bought the Lakers by the end line.
Now, as they’re slogging by March, the majority of their frontcourt again in Los Angeles resting and rehabbing accidents, the tank seems a lot emptier, the enjoyment far more fleeting and the assumption, at the least briefly, disappearing in a 126-106 loss.
Even with Luka Doncic scoring 45 factors, his most because the Lakers acquired him from Dallas, the sport by no means actually appeared inside attain for Los Angeles. As a substitute, they performed 48 minutes in kind of a futile chase, compelled to double-team Giannis Antetokounmpo solely to go away a shooter large open on the three-point line.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves pulls up for a shot and attracts a foul from Bucks middle Brook Lopez through the first half Thursday.
(Morry Gash / Related Press)
“It has to be another night where we have to do both,” coach JJ Redick mentioned of the Lakers’ problem pregame. “We have to protect the paint and we have to close out and guard their lasers.”
They didn’t do both.
Whereas it was clear that Redick’s prognosis of the Lakers’ defensive tasks could be an excessive amount of for them to deal with, one thing else he mentioned earlier than the blowout loss was most likely extra vital than something that occurred within the 4 quarters to comply with.
Redick mentioned LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes had been not with the Lakers on this journey, that means none of them will probably be obtainable Friday night time in Denver in opposition to the Nuggets. However Redick additionally mentioned that the trio of gamers, James included, could be thought of “day-to-day” transferring ahead, that means the Lakers have probability to get complete prior to later.
Doncic’s 45 factors got here from the wild array of expertise he possesses — deep threes, drives the place he pulled the emergency brake for a pull-up jumper and journeys to the road due to his physicality. Austin Reaves, who struggled within the Lakers’ loss to Brooklyn, scored 28.
However aside from Doncic and Reaves, no different Lakers participant ever offered a lot of an offensive risk.
5 Bucks scored at the least 16 factors, with loads of Milwaukee’s 17 made threes coming off wide-open seems.
The Lakers, who’ve misplaced three in a row, shut out the journey Friday in Denver — one other powerful sport the place the Lakers will probably be severely undermanned.
