The Milwaukee Bucks broke free of their three-game losing streak Wednesday night by taking a 112-97 victory over the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers.
Having started their road swing out west on down note with their 129-105 loss to the L.A. Clippers earlier in the week, the Bucks had plenty of motivation to climb out of their losing skid. However, the Lakers had different plans in store and their hot shooting start in the first quarter looked to be a recipe for disaster for the Bucks.
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That ultimately proved to be short-lived as the Bucks gradually turned around the game with their second quarter turnaround that saw them outscore the Lakers 33-19 and carry a 57-49 lead into halftime.
Milwaukee didn’t look back from there, though the Lakers put in their best effort to stay within range of the Bucks for the rest of the night. But the undermanned Lakers were eventually dispatched by a Bucks team that finally returned in the win column.
So without further ado, let’s break what all stood out the most in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
Milwaukee Bucks brave off Lakers’ hot shooting start in win
It was far from a crisp start for the Bucks, especially as they saw the Lakers dialed in early from 3-point range. Los Angeles’s 30-point first quarter was fueled by going 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first frame and while the Bucks had been playing in their traditional drop-back scheme, their transition defending proved to be lackadaisical at best.
As they tightened up their defense and started to switch more, the Lakers grew increasingly cold from deep. To that point, the Lakers went 2-for-23 from that range for the rest of the way Wednesday night.
Some of that came down to bad shooting luck, especially after their hot start, but the Bucks did stay more connected to Lakers shooters just as Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer talked about after the game.
Post-game, Budenholzer said the players addressed this themselves between the first and second quarter.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 1, 2021
Before the coaches could get into them about the topic, they talked about it themselves. They knew they weren't connected enough to shooters and weren't defending the ball. https://t.co/nGzHE14jTM
Milwaukee’s recent win streak saw them benefit from poor shooting nights from their opponents and that quickly turned when going against the likes of the Boston Celtics and the Clippers recently. They won’t be faced with the same luck the rest of their trip, but they took advantage of the diminished firepower the Lakers currently have at their disposal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo rounded back into top form for Milwaukee Bucks
After showing some positive signs in the Bucks’ loss to the Clippers Monday night, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo turned in yet another encouraging performance against the Lakers.
Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting (1-for-1 from three, 8-for-10 from the foul line), 10 rebounds, nine turnovers, four assists and three blocks in 35-and-a-half minutes of burn.
While he was making the right reads with the ball in his hands early on, Antetokounmpo was largely quiet and took some time to crack the code behind the many walls the Lakers were building to wall off the paint to the MVP.
It took some time, but Antetokounmpo found ways to crack the Lakers’ defense, especially when getting touches in the post or on the wing. This little jump hook Antetokounmpo converted over Montrezl Harrell was the perfect example of being able to create and get a comfortable shot off from his spot right in front of the hoop.
With that said, Antetokounmpo’s showing was far from perfect as evidenced by the nine turnovers, which matches his season-high that previously came against the Lakers earlier in the year. Those walls continue to confound Antetokounmpo as his penchant for picking up offensive fouls has steadily recurred during this rough patch.
Fortunately, though, Antetokounmpo is fighting through the hurdles to return back to the rhythm he was playing at for much of the season to this point. Fingers crossed that continues as the Bucks’ road swing out west progresses.
Jrue Holiday puts in a master class performance in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win
Just as was the case last time out, Jrue Holiday was instrumental in the Bucks’ win over the Lakers.
Getting into a groove from the opening possession, Holiday proved to be a massive lifeline for the Bucks throughout their slow-going opening period by hitting shots from all three levels of the floor. Holiday, in particular, had his patented stepback jumper rolling all night long and made good use of it when getting separation from Lakers guard Dennis Schröder throughout the win.
On the defensive side of the ball, Holiday was incredibly disruptive when guarding Schroder and getting his hands into passing lanes to dislodge the ball from numerous Lakers players. Applying the level of ball pressure we saw from Holiday proved to be infectious for the whole Bucks squad as they clamped down on the Lakers’ following their 30-point first quarter.
All in all, Holiday matched his season-high of 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting (3-for-5 from three, 3-for-4 from the free throw line), eight rebounds, six assists, four steals as well as four turnovers and a block in over 34 minutes of run.
Holiday has shown his importance to this Bucks team all season long, but his outing last night may prove to be his most complete of the year thus far. And Holiday’s efforts helped buoy the Bucks as they ended their losing streak.
The Bucks will look to pick up their second straight win when they make their visit to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, which will tip off at 9 PM CST.