After a 20-point blowout loss to the Grizzlies, the Bucks quickly moved back to the winning column by edging the Clippers on the road, 97-96.
Giannis Antetkounmpo didn’t post his usual monster stat line, but the bench provided another big lift, with Matthew Dellavedova, Greg Monroe, and Mirza Teletovic combining for 35 points.
The victory was Milwaukee’s seventh in eight games and it has helped continue their climb in the East standings, where they are now the seventh seed.
Friday will be the team’s second and final meeting with the Lakers this season. They are sure to be on a mood to get a W back, as they lost in the previous encounter, 122-114, despite Antetokounmpo stuffing the stat sheet for 41 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks.
Along with the solid bench, we can also expect swingman Khris Middleton to produce. He’s been putting up 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, and shooting 50.5 percent from the field since returning to the starting lineup.
The Bucks are averaging 102.5 points on 47.4 percent shooting in their last eight outings.
The Lakers will be coming off another loss, as the Rockets, for the second time this season, crushed them for 39 points.
The 139-100 laugher was L.A.’s 11th defeat in 12 games (1-10-1 ATS), and it was the second-most points they gave up in a single game all year. It’s very indicative of why they rank 28th in the league in points allowed and dead-last in defensive efficiency.
Not much is really left for the Lake Show in the 2016-17 campaign. They are openly tanking for weeks now, and just announced that Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng, who they signed last summer for a combined $136 million, will be sitting out all of the team’s remaining games.
The benching should, of course, allow Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Ivica Zubac, and the rest of the young core to get even heavier minutes, which can also up their overall numbers. The same four guys all had a quality performance against the Bucks in their recent meeting, as all scored in double figures.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bucks (-7)continue their string of wins, 106-96.
