Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons from the loss to Milwaukee Bucks
By Ronald Agers
The Los Angeles Lakers fell short of their first short-term goal. After winning 14 straight road games, they have now lost two straight. Lake Show Life breaks down the problems they are having in Lake Show Life Lessons.
Well the Los Angeles Lakers finished their road trip doing something that they wanted to avoid this season. Anthony Davis told the media after the Dallas loss a couple of weeks ago that the team wanted to avoid losing two games in a row. After losing to the Indiana Pacers, that goal was in jeopardy. Now it’s time to find some more short-term goals.
The Lakers took on the Milwaukee Bucks in a matchup that had TNT execs drooling. For the first time in NBA history two teams faced each other this late in the season with records as impressive as these two. Both teams in the building with 24-4 records, something had to give.
Giannis Antetokounmpo gave out something. That something is called the business.
He showed up Thursday night ready to prove a couple of things. One, that he is worthy of being the MVP and doesn’t mind hanging on the honor for another year and two, the Bucks deserve to be in the conversation for the NBA title along with the Staples Center residents.
The Los Angeles Lakers got a reminder that there is a huge target on their backs from the other 29 teams in the NBA. If they don’t compete, they get punched in the mouth.
This is one of those games that showed chinks in the Lakers armor as they lost to the Bucks, 111-104. This game was not as close as the final score shows.
The easy excuse for the loss is to say that the Lakers just finished a “Murderer’s Row” of games on the road playing their eighth of their last nine. The reality is that the Lakers have issues with their offensive schemes and the number one defense in the NBA put them all on display.
Lake Show Life has a message to the superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. You better eat your Wheaties because at least one of you have to bring it for 48 minutes for the Lakers to win against really good teams. The offense depends too much on LeBron or AD creating opportunities for everyone else. Both were off early and the Bucks ran away from them.
More disturbing than that, the Bucks seemingly were one step ahead of the Lakers sniffing out the one-on-one creation schemes leading to 18 turnovers. Active hands made passes to the post a chore. Watching Rajon Rondo and LeBron donate to the cause with 9 turnovers between them just makes you wonder or just curse the television set.
The Lakers bench scoring is now officially considered a problem. If Kyle Kuzma is the guy that is supposed to pick up the slack, he had better get healthy quick because the team needs him. Sure the Milwaukee Bucks are title contenders, but the Lakers aren’t going to get by getting smoked 34-4 in bench points.
Let’s make this simple, on to the Lake Show Life Lessons.