Two contending groups dwelling on temporary dropping streaks look to get again on observe Thursday night time when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Los Angeles was one of many hottest groups within the NBA, successful eight in a row, earlier than dropping back-to-back video games in Boston and Brooklyn. They fell to the Nets 111-108 on Monday with out LeBron James.
“I don’t think being shorthanded is an excuse for how we played basketball tonight,” Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned. “We ball-watched all night. They probably made six to seven uncontested . Just shortcuts; you got to do the hard stuff.”
The Bucks are available off a heartbreaker as they misplaced 115-114 to the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night time in Indianapolis because of Tyrese Haliburton’s working 3-pointer that grew to become a game-winning 4-point play within the remaining seconds.
It marked the Bucks’ third straight loss and a missed alternative in opposition to a group they’re battling within the Jap Convention standings.
“I thought our turnovers really hurt us. … we had bad turnovers tonight,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers mentioned. “They were the type of turnovers that they get, we made turnovers that you just can’t make in a playoff game.”
The Bucks turned the ball over 15 occasions within the defeat.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.7 factors and 12.1 rebounds per sport. Damian Lillard is dispensing simply over seven assists an evening and Brook Lopez averages 1.9 blocks.
James leads the Lakers with 25 factors and eight.5 assists per sport. In 12 video games since becoming a member of the group, Luka Doncic has averaged 24.5 factors, 8.4 rebounds and eight assists.
On the harm entrance, James stays out with a groin pressure that can bench him for at the least 1-2 weeks. Rui Hachimura is out for the group’s complete highway journey. Jaxson Hayes and Dorian Finney-Smith missed Monday’s sport and their standing for Thursday has but to be decided.
For Milwaukee, Bobby Portis stays out. Tyler Smith and Chris Livingston each missed Tuesday’s sport as properly.
Thursday’s sport marks their first assembly this season with the opposite occurring subsequent Thursday in Los Angeles.
The Lakers have received two in a row over Milwaukee because of final 12 months’s entertaining sweep. The Lakers received 123-122 in Los Angeles earlier than taking a 128-124 double additional time victory in Milwaukee.
James additionally missed final 12 months’s go to to Fiserv Discussion board. Antetokounmpo notched 29 factors and 21 rebounds, and Lillard had 27 factors and eight assists within the newest assembly. Earlier than final season, the Lakers had not swept Milwaukee since 2009-10.
The Lakers lead the NBA in a single particular stat: discipline objective proportion within the restricted space . Antetokounmpo and Lopez will play a key function in stopping these pictures, as will Jericho Sims, who was acquired on the deadline and has seen elevated taking part in time with Portis out.
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