Milwaukee Bucks: 3 things to watch in big matchup vs Los Angeles Lakers

How will the superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis play against each other?

One of the big debates that have developed, mainly through fans on social media, is the one between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis. I don’t think it’s quite as close as Lakers fans will say it is, but there are still those who believe Davis is right up there with Antetokounmpo.

The two superstars have played three games against each other over the last two seasons (Davis missed a game last year) and it feels like both players are at their best when they play against each other. Here are the numbers for both guys in those three games:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 30.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 65.6% TS%
• Anthony Davis: 28 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.3 BPG, 51.5% TS%

It’ll be interesting to see how Davis fares as the primary option against the Bucks. Since coming to Los Angeles, he has yet to play a game against Milwaukee without James. He will have Russell Westbrook for this one, but they have yet to find their chemistry. Lineups featuring Davis and Westbrook without James have produced a minus-14.7 net rating per Cleaning the Glass (subscription required).

For all the Bucks struggles, Antetokounmpo is still dominating when he is playing alongside his co-stars. There is an opportunity here for the Bucks to jump on the Lakers while they’re still working through early chemistry problems (that may continue to persist).