Milwaukee Bucks Grades, Reaction To 113-95 Loss To Los Angeles Lakers

Dec 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center

(18) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Lakers guard

(6) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Reactions: The Good

• The good, the good. Hmm. Finding positives in this game is sort of like finding a pile of manure in your yard and saying “Well at least it makes good fertilizer”, so this could be tricky. But one clear positive was the consistency of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s outside shot. Here’s how wacky the inverse Bucks were Tuesday night: Giannis shot 0-3 from the paint, and 6-8 from 10 feet or more. He looked good doing it too–smoothly lifting for rainbow jumpers over a (presumably) dumbfounded Kobe Bryant.

• Jabari Parker got off to a hot start, scoring six points in the game’s first six minutes before sitting until late in the second quarter. With a game against the Clippers on Wednesday night, Jason Kidd clearly restricted his minutes. That’s a shame too because there’s no way the Bucks were beating the Clippers even with a rested Jabari Parker. You can’t let games against teams like the Lakers get away. Even without Greg Monroe. Use Jabari up against the Lakers and rest him until Friday. Don’t go halfway with him both nights. That’s the recipe for an 0-2 L.A. trip and likely a 0-4 road trip.

• Miles Plumlee did some good things. He saw action for the first time since December 2, and was able to score a season high 10 points while, frankly, outperforming John Henson in the process. There’s been some chatter about Plumlee being on the trading block, but after Tuesday night’s performances from Plumlee and Henson I think the Bucks may be dangling the wrong center out there.

Next: Reactions: The Bad