He's only been with the Milwaukee Bucks for a short time, but Kyle Kuzma is already doing things here that he couldn't do during his multi-year stay with the Washington Wizards.
For instance, following Milwaukee's 126-106 victory versus Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, Kuzma picked up his first career win against LA. Kuzma, who spent the first four years of his career in Los Angeles, went 0-7 against his former squad during his three-and-a-half year stay in Washington. He finally has a win under his belt after being in Milwaukee for just over a month now.
The Bucks got a needed win over the LeBron James-less Lakers
After losing three-straight, including against the Indiana Pacers in the most heart-breaking fashion, the Milwaukee Bucks needed to get a win to snap out of this slump. While it might not have been their most impressive win of the season, given that Los Angeles was without several key pieces, including LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes, this was still a nice showing by the Bucks.
Kuzma himself didn't have the flashiest game statistically, pouring in five points on 2-of-9 shooting, but he made his mark defensively. After Luka Doncic went off for 29 points in the first half of action, Kuzma took on the assignment of guarding him in the second half, and the guard noticeably had a much harder time putting the ball in the hole as Milwaukee's forward made everything difficult.
That type of defensive presence is exactly why the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Kyle Kuzma. His width and length make him a versatile piece who can defend some of the toughest players in the game, and he backed it up with his defense on Doncic. It's the type of play the Milwaukee Bucks need from him if they want to have any shot at competing for a title as the regular season winds down.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a near triple double by posting 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Brook Lopez added 23 points. Meanwhile Damian Lillard and Kevin Porter Jr. both caught fire in the backcourt, pouring in 22 points apiece. It was a complete team effort as the Milwaukee Bucks finally snapped their three-game losing streak.
With a rematch against the Indiana Pacers coming up next, it would help the Bucks mightily if Kuzma could bring this strong defensive presence into that matchup. The forward hasn't won a contest over Indiana as a Buck, so perhaps he could snap another streak in this next game.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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