In the NBA, there are no easy games.
The Milwaukee Bucks seemingly thought that had a layup when they faced the Golden State Warriors without Stephen Curry recently, but things did not go according to plan. The Curry-less Warriors took down the Bucks, continuing their recent skid. Now, against a Los Angeles Lakers team without several key pieces, including LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Bucks had to get it done.
They didn't take their opponent so lightly this time.
The Lakers hung around early, but eventually, the Milwaukee Bucks, even without Damian Lillard, were too much. Having never trailed, the Bucks built up a lead as large as 35 en route to a 118-89 victory. With that said, let us highlight a few studs and duds from the contest.
Stud - Kyle Kuzma
Playing against his former team, Kyle Kuzma may have had a little chip on his shoulder for this game. The forward came out aggressive on both sides of the ball, attacking offensively while holding down his end of the bargain defensively. When the final buzzer rang, he not only finished with 20 points, but he had five rebounds and five assists to go with that.
Sure, Kuzma could have shot the ball better, as he was 0-of-4 from the 3-point line and 2-of-5 from the free-throw line, but overall, he was solid. He now has back-to-back 20-point games, his first time doing so with the Milwaukee Bucks, so perhaps he may be finally finding his footing after what was a pretty poor stretch recently.
Stud - Giannis Antetokounmpo
With Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James out, the Lakers didn't have much size to throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Greek Freak took advantage. He finished with 28 points on 60 percent shooting. He was nearly flawless down low, but a few mid-range misses bogged down his percentage in this game.
Antetokounmpo was pristine from the foul line, knocking down 10 of his 12 tries. Elsewhere, he had a major impact with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. With no Lillard and trying to bounce back after that loss against Golden State, Antetokounmpo needed to lead the charge in this particular game, and he did just that.
Dud - Kevin Porter Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr. has been a sizeable contributor for the Milwaukee Bucks lately, but he was off against the Lakers. The guard, who has shown signs of being the complementary scorer this team needs, had just three points on 1-of-5 shooting in this one. Off-nights happen, and Porter was a victim of that as he struggled to sink shots, also tallying two turnovers. He will hopefully shake it off in time.
Stud - Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. can swing a game every single time he checks in. There is plenty of talk regarding who the Milwaukee Bucks can depend on as their third scoring option down the stretch, and Trent has an undeniable case. Knocking in six of his 10 triples, the guard was red-hot against the Lakers, providing valuable floor spacing and impressive scoring production as he finished with 23 points.
In addition to the points, Trent finished with three rebounds, three assists and two steals, doing a little bit of everything to help Milwaukee take down Los Angeles. This version of Gary Trent Jr. could be the ultimate difference-maker for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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