Game Thread, Bucks vs Lakers, 9:30, Staples Center, ESPN
A game on National TV!
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Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (15-20) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (23-11).
When: 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles.
Broadcasts: TV - ESPN cable. Radio - AM-620.
About the Lakers: They've won four straight, including road victories over Memphis and New Orleans on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Lakers have also won 10 of their last 12. Against New Orleans, the Lakers scored on their first eight possessions and led by 10 or more points for most of the game. The Los Angeles bench outscored the New Orleans reserves, 42-9.
PLAYER TO WATCH
KOBE BRYANT, Lakers
He's come to realize that he doesn't have to score 35 or 40 points per game in order for the Lakers to win. In fact, his scoring average has dipped from 31.6 last season to 26.4 this season. "My role has changed," he said. He is third in the league in scoring behind LeBron James (29.1) and Allen Iverson (27.1) and is first among Western Conference players in the all-star voting.
LINEUPS
PROBABLE LAKER STARTERS
Player Ht. From
G-Derek Fisher 6-1 Ark.-Little Rock
G-Kobe Bryant 6-6 Ardmore, Pa.
F-Luke Walton 6-8 Arizona
F-Lamar Odom 6-10 Rhode Island
C-Andrew Bynum 7-0 Plainsboro, N.J.
Coach: Phil Jackson (eighth season, 397-211; 17th overall, 942-404).
Injury report: Chris Mihm (right ankle) and Vladimir Radmanovic (right ankle) are out. Sasha Vujacic (left ankle) is questionable.
PROBABLE BUCKS STARTERS
Player Ht. From
G-Mo Williams 6-1 Alabama
G-Royal Ivey 6-4 Texas
F-Bobby Simmons 6-6 DePaul
F-Yi Jianlian 7-0 China
C-Andrew Bogut 7-0 Utah
Coach: Larry Krystkowiak (second season, 20-33).
Injury report: Desmond Mason (left thumb) and David Noel (right wrist) are out. Michael Redd (left thigh) is questionable.
Re: Game Thread, Bucks vs Lakers, 9:30, Staples Center, ESPN
Good luck!
__________________
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.”
Re: Game Thread, Bucks vs Lakers, 9:30, Staples Center, ESPN
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ON THE COURT
PLAYER OF THE GAME:Kobe Bryant, bothered by an upper respiratory infection, carried the scoring load early as he scored 16 of his 37 points in the first quarter. The scoreboard report card, by the way, gave Bryant an A-plus for the game.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Early in the fourth quarter, Bryant ignited the crowd by grabbing an offensive rebound and feeding Trevor Ariza, who was breaking along the baseline. Ariza threw down a reverse dunk for an 83-76 lead.
STATISTICS SHEET: Entering play Friday, the Bucks' three opponents on this trip - the Lakers, Phoenix and Utah - had a combined record of 68-39 (.636).
OFF THE BENCH: In the five games before Friday, the Bucks' bench outscored the opponents' reserves by an average of 32.4 to 23.2. The Bucks won four of those games
Re: Game Thread, Bucks vs Lakers, 9:30, Staples Center, ESPN
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The Lakers pulled away from the Bucks in the third quarter, extending their lead to 74-61 with 4:35 left. Redd then returned. The Bucks refused to go away and cut the lead to 78-74 after three quarters.
Bryant was fouled on a three-point shot to start the fourth quarter. He made all three free throws to begin a 12-2 run that proved to be too much for the Bucks to overcome.
The loss interrupted the Bucks' recent run of good play, and it happened after the return to play of their all-star guard. Redd had missed the previous four games with a thigh bruise and the Bucks' goal was to work Redd back smoothly into the rotation.
Redd's return, though, presented an interesting dilemma for the Bucks, since they had won three of the four games they played without him. All of the victories came against teams with losing records but the hope among the Bucks was that they would be able to maintain their success of the past week or so.
"That's going to be a challenge for us," coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "We can't miss a beat. We need to keep up with the same kind of energy. I like the way we're playing. It's going to be important that we realize it. It's been great for our team to realize we've got some players that can make some plays. I don't anticipate there being a major issue. Hopefully, Michael gets back in the mix and provides us with another weapon."
Ball movement was the key for the Bucks in their three-game winning streak. In victories over Charlotte, Philadelphia and Miami, they passed the ball as well as they had all season.
In the victory over the 76ers on Tuesday, the Bucks had 22 assists on 33 baskets, and in the victory over Miami on Wednesday, the Bucks handed out 23 assists on 34 baskets. In the first quarter of the game against Philadelphia, the Bucks had 10 assists on 11 baskets.
Much of that was triggered by the starting backcourt of Mo Williams and Royal Ivey, who generated the ball movement, but it got contagious among the other players as well.
"That's fun basketball when that happens," Krystkowiak said. "Guys are looking for each other and there's a lot of trust on the floor to move the ball and know that that guy's got a chance to make a play. Nobody's looking at anybody's face to see who it is before we pass. It's flowing pretty free and it's fun that way."
Game Thread, Bucks vs Lakers, 9:30, Staples Center, ESPN
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