For the great return to business of Khris Middletonwho had not played since Game 2 of the first round playoff series against the Bulls and who had his first outing of the season (17 points and 7 assists), the Bucks narrowly lost to the Lakers (133-129), on their floor at the Fiserv Forum.
After a real thrillerthem ” Purple & Gold » of a Anthony Davis absolutely grandiose (44 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists) have indeed won at the end of the suspense, after a three-point equalizer shot missed by Jrue Holiday. The Los Angeles pivot was well helped by the two double-doubles of LeBron James (28 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists) and Russell Westbrook (15 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists), the first accompanying him in scoring. in the last act to repel the onslaught of the Bucks (13 points in the 4th quarter for “LBJ”), the second signing an “all-around” score close to perfection.
On the Bucks side, an immense performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo (40 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists), wonderfully supported by Jrue Holiday (28 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists) and Bobby Portis off the bench (15 points and 10 rebounds), but perhaps some regrets for having played a slow game in the first half (66-58 in favor of the Lakers), because they won the second half with a differential of +4 (71-67), the final gap…
Before attacking the rest of their “road-trip” in the Eastern Conference (Washington, Cleveland, Toronto, Philadelphia and Detroit), the Lakers offer themselves in any case the reference victory of their season.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The great return of Khris Middleton. He had not played since April 20, the date of Game 2 of the series against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs! More than seven months later, the Bucks winger has regained his team’s major five, for the first time in this 2022/23 fiscal year. Limited to 27 minutes to resume smoothly, he was very clean, like when we left him in April, with 17 points at 6/11 on shots, 2 rebounds and 7 assists. Despite the narrow defeat, the Bucks can smile: their “Big Three” is officially back.
– Anthony Davis always size boss. Sensational in the absence of LeBron James in the middle of November, “AD” has not shown any decline since the return of the “King” and has an 8th game with 25 points or more. Facing the defense of Milwaukee, he deposits 44 points (at 18/27!), Accompanied by 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. He already had 23 points at halftime, and continued to contribute to the scoring until the very last moments. His best game of the season.
– LeBron James overtakes Magic Johnson in career assists ranking. On an assist early in the fourth quarter, ‘King James’ passed ultimate Lakers legend Magic Johnson in the standings all time of the best passers. With 10,144 career offerings, he is now the 5th most proficient passer in league history, with Mark Jackson (4th) and Steve Nash (5th), who are not very far away (10,334). for the first, 10.335 for the second). Beyond that, “LBJ” released an XXL match to overcome these tough Bucks. Discreet in the first period, he quietly increased in power in the third act, before taking things in hand (jointly with Anthony Davis) in the last quarter, during which he scored 13 of his 28 points. A good evening for the n°6.
TOPS & FLOPS
✅ Russell Westbrook. His two teammates take all the media attention because they scored a lot of points, but “RussWest” is also to be congratulated on his match. Less offensive, more in management: 15 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists, and above all no loss of ball. All this off the bench. The “Brodie” offered a score not far from perfect, at the helm of a particularly sharp and effective attack (54% on shots including 42% from behind the arc, 32 assists for only 4 ball losses).
✅ Jrue Holiday & Giannis Antetokounmpo. In observation during the first period, the two players furiously shifted into fifth gear after the break, scoring 47 of their 68 points after the break. It was also under their impetus that the Bucks came back up to the Lakers in the third quarter, even passing them in front of the score a few minutes after the restart with a “run” of 21-11. Very strong also in the last quarter and not far, on several occasions, from tipping the scales in favor of their team, they have nothing to reproach themselves for despite the defeat.
⛔️ On the Bucks bench, Bobby Portis and the others. With the exception of Bobby Portis who signed a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds), the Bucks’ replacements were not there since they only scored 8 points… all in fact scored by Pat Connaughton. Thus, George Hill, Jevon Carter and Wesley Mathews end up with a bubble. Regrettable, when we know that the final gap is 4 points, and that the Lakers substitutes scored 8 more points, with 31 units in total…
THE FOLLOWING
– Bucks (15-6): “back-to-back” in Charlotte (00:00)
– Lakers (9-12): continuation of the “road-trip” on the East Coast, in Washington on the night of Sunday to Monday (00:00)
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