Lakers lose to the Bucks 94-79 – Game Recap
By Mike Garcia
Rough start for the Lakers.
The Milwaukee Bucks started the game on a 14-0 run. Larry Sanders proved his effectiveness in the paint by being a strong presence defensively. Gasol struggled to create shots in isolation situations. The Lakers started 0 of 11 from the field and didn’t scratch until Gasol hit an open 15′ jumpshot at the elbow. It took them 7 minutes just to get the first two points. With that jumpshot, Gasol is officially in the top #100 all-time NBA scorers list.
The Bucks continued to push out in transition multiple times. The Lakers were only helping the Bucks. They continued the poor shooting going 1 of 13 from the field with 6 turnovers to boot. Farmar looked a step slower. Kendall Marshall got substituted in. His impact was felt immediately. With crisp ball-movement and passing; the team started moving around a bit more. Marshall hit Nick Young for a 17′ jumpshot off of a screen. Shawne Williams hit an open 3-pointer from great side-to-side ball movement. Marshall himself bombed a 30′ set shot from behind the arc. This cut the lead down to 23-12. Brandon Knight finished with 9 points at the end of the first. Ersan Ilyasova finished with 8 points.
Into the 2nd quarter, Marshall continued the great play by attacking the basket, using a ball-fake, and hitting a layup. He finished with 5 points and 4 assists before Farmar came back in. His energy helped spark the Laker roster into a 10-2 run. Farmar came back in refocused. From the get go, he was set to attack, hitting Gasol for a layup and Nick Young for a corner three off of dribble-penetration.
Still, it has been a rough game. At the half, the Lakers were down 9, 42-33. They finished the half shooting 28.3%.
Dec 31, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (16) shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Entering the 3rd quarter, Pau Gasol came out very aggressive starting a 6-point run of his own. Shawne Williams hit another 21′ jumper to cut the lead to 5. But, Brandon Knight caught NBA fire, scoring over 20 points in the 3rd quarter and in the middle of the run, extended the Bucks lead to 65-46. At the end of the quarter, the Lakers put a little spurt of their own with a 10-2 run, cutting lead down again to 74-60. The Bucks had reached a lead of 22 points in the 3rd quarter.
The Bucks started the 4th quarter with a 6-0 run, extending the lead back to 20. Farmar’s hamstring started to tighten, so point guard duties were left to Kendall Marshall only. The Lakers came up with another run, and Marshall’s impact was felt. It spurred a short 8-0 run, cutting the lead to 12 points at the 6 minute mark. Young stayed aggressive, attacking the basket and hitting a couple of free throws. He hit a baseline bankshot from the post. Marshall made another 3-pointer and cut the lead to 10 again. With 3 minutes left, it was up to the Laker team to execute, but they didn’t. They failed to grab a defensive rebound after giving up 4 shot attempts to the Bucks. After Gasol coughed up the ball in the post for a turnover, the Laker team was deflated. Pau Gasol and Nick Young both finished with 25 points. Brandon Knight finished with 37 shooting 15/25 from the field.
Stu’s keys to the game were to keep the Bucks under 94 points and limit turnovers. The Lakers held them to 94 points and only turned the ball over 13 times. But, they shot 35.8% from the field and never led at any point in the game.
The Lakers lose again 94-79.