BUCKS -at- LAKERS - 3/6 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:24 pm    Post subject: BUCKS -at- LAKERS - 3/6 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

The Bucks Stop Here... The Lakers want to send a message this weekend. There’s no doubt. Tonight, the two best teams in the league faced off -- Bucks vs. Lakers and a possible preview of the finals.

Giannis wasn’t going to light it up from three like he did the last time these two teams played. So the Lakers walled him off once again and tried to keep him attacking against a set halfcourt defense.

L.A. fell behind early, but reeled the Bucks in by halftime. In the third quarter, the Lakers put together an impressive 18-0 in the middle of a 39-point third quarter. They’ve been starting to flex that kind of muscle again, and tonight they did it against the best team in the league.

Ultimately, in the fourth, it was the Lakers two superstars outgunning the Bucks one superstar. Too much AD, too much LeBron. They kept the Bucks from catching them and took the win 113-103.


LeBron -- -- He brought the A game tonight with a playoff-like test for the team. He picked up steam as the game went along. He led the Lakers with 12 points on 4-7 shooting in the first half. We struggled a bit to score, but kept coming. Great job putting defenders into jail off the screens and then turning those into layups. He wasn’t hitting the three ball (1-7), but was able to get into the paint and earn FTs (12-15). He also had to go head to head with Giannis at times as he D’d him up in the second quarter (Giannis had just 2 points that quarter). Some good hands by LeBron at times and nice work stepping up to cover Giannis after AD got into foul issues. A lot of tag teaming on both ends against Giannis with AD/LBJ throughout the night. Both Giannis and LeBron produced big numbers, but LeBron really orchestrated the game at a higher level. Nervous moment in the third: Middleton grabbed his hip from behind in transition on a clear-path foul and LBJ was in noticeable pain after that awkward stumble. He seemed to shake it off and resume action fine, but he was stretching that hip/groin for a few moments. Good job putting guys into jail off the screens for layups. The Stats: He scored 37 points on 12-21 shooting (1-7 from three, 12-15 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +8.

Davis -- -- Man, those fouls. Just 10 minutes total playing time in the first half. He picked up two fouls after 3:50 of action. Vogel kept him out there until the 4:15 mark before sitting him after a successful gamble. AD then picked up his third foul on an ATO trying to set a high screen. He was done for the half with 6:51 left and the Lakers down by 9. We managed to reel the Bucks in with AD on the bench. Well done by the team having his back. He’d pick up his fourth with 1:18 left in the third on a charge against Giannis. He nearly got out of the quarter cleanly. In the fourth, we started to really let AD work against some smaller defenders. He’d work the post and face-ups for a series of scores. It was time for the superstars to show up and the Lakers had two of them down the stretch. In crunch time, AD had a huge tip-in of a LeBron drive, followed that up with an elbow jumper next time down, then later a couple more clutch FTs. Nice job closing this one. He’d finish with 30 in just 29 minutes. Foul trouble, some choppy, off-balance offense for stretches, but he worked it out and came up big down the stretch. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-24 shooting (0-4 from three, 10-11 from the line) to go with 9 boards (4 offensive), 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +8.

Green -- -- He didn’t shoot great from the start, going just 1-5 in the first half, but he did have a couple of steals mixing things up defensively. Good hands. Just having his length out there was useful at times on switches. He’d sink a couple of threes in this one. His first was in transition, his second was off a nice flare screen sequence. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-5 from three) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +17.

McGee -- -- He picked up two quick fouls in the first minute and a half as our bigs were getting tagged with them left and right. He took a flagrant elbow to the face when Robin Lopez caught him with an elbow (didn’t seem lake a flagrant, but looked painful). Good first half with 9 boards, 3 steals, 1 block and 5 points in his 11 minutes. He played him some bigger minutes in this one as a result of some of those foul issues. I liked his general intensity tonight. The Bucks bigs will keep ours from plugging the paint and that made it tricky at times defensively. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards (4 offensive), 3 steals, 1 block and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +9.

Bradley -- -- Awful first few minutes with bricks and turnovers, dragging the offense down. We’d score just 5 points midway through the first quarter. He’d finish the first half shooting 0-4 from the field with 3 turnovers. Despite the Lakers being a +6 while he was out there, some painful moments offensively for sure in that first half. In the second half, he took a couple of charges to get stops and played a role on that defensive end to help get to a +23. Our defensive intensity picked up a couple of notches with him in the mix and that led to a key Laker run. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-5 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +23.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- A couple of scores tonight. He finished a layup wiht just a fraction of a second left in the quarter on a fastbreak. His other was moving in off a flyby to hit a baseline jumper. Otherwise, a fairly quiet night. Defensively, some good anticipation to steal a kickout for his steal. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -12.

Kuzma -- -- Scrappy game at times. Not great, but he battled to a near double-double. His individual D in the first half was much better than his team D, where he had some issues making quick decisions off the screen actions. When they tried to go at him with Middleton or guards in the half, he held his own nicely. Offensively, it was a bit of a struggle. He scored 7 points on 1-7 shooting (1-5 from three) in the first half. With LeBron sitting and AD in foul trouble in the second quarter, we’d lean on him a little to try to produce but he wasn’t able to step into that void. This is where maybe a guy like Waiters could give you some lift, but Kuz needs to be that guy in those situations. Despite Kuz’s struggles, he managed a team-high +8 in the half. In the second half, he attacked off the three line for a dunk and also hit a pull-up from the top of the key. Just one assist tonight. I found myself wishing he’d find Morris on a few plays as Kuz drew his defender to him, but the ball stuck a little in his hands. Good job on the boards. I only saw one instance where I thought he could have crashed the glass and he didn’t. “Definitely a big game for us,” Kuzma said of this one. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 3-11 shooting (1-6 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a +10.

Caruso -- -- Nice job rising to the occasion in the first half when others were struggling. He scored 7 points on 3-4 shooting, hitting a three, scoring on a couple of drives (including a nice one with a ball-fake to clear a big from his path to the hoop). In the second half, he had a sweet screen assist on an ATO ball reversal play. He took out Giannis and AD had a drive left for a layup. Love his screen setting. He’d hit a late FT for his only other point in this one. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 14 minutes. He was a -8.

Howard -- -- Just 1 board, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in the first half. Not great minutes and he wasn’t thrilled with the officiating. Really not much of an impact from Dwight in this one. Hopefully, he beasts in the next one. We’ll need his physicality to make an appearance. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a -6.

Rondo -- -- I like this amount of minutes as his max. He was able to contribute without us leaning on him a lot or without the opponent just leaving him for stretches. He scored on a couple of layups in early offense, including a nice change of directions in transition. We need that pace pushed when he’s out there so that the halfcourt can’t get set and sag off him. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-6 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 4 assists and no fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -1.

Morris -- -- Really some key minutes from him tonight. We went with a small ball lineup when AD had foul issues in the first quarter. Morris was at the C, Kuzma at the PF. They managed to hold the line. He sank a couple of big shots in the second half, one a baseline pull-up against the zone and then a quick-fire three from the wing on the next trip down. That was a ballsy shot. I like the confidence he showed there. Defensively, he drew a charge on Robin Lopez on one stand. Overall, nice to see some contributions in a big-game atmosphere. Hope to see a lot of that in the playoffs. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-3 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 2 boards and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +2.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: The Lakers put together an 18-0 run to lead by 13 in the third quarter. This was kind of the equivalent of getting the Bucks on our hip and keeping them there. The Lakers took control with some good D, but a huge 39-point third quarter.

Key Substitution: Any time LeBron sat, the Lakers were able to hold the line tonight. The bench had just 4 points last time we faced the Bucks. Tonight? They had 33 points.

Key Stats: The Lakers shot just 3-21 from three in the first half (14.3%). The coaches thought they were taking the threes a bit early and wanted some better ball movement. L.A. would finish with a poor 6-32 from three (18.8%). The Bucks were a little better at 12-43 (27.9%), but it wasn’t pretty from the perimeter. Middleton would shoot just 5-19 for 12 points (2-10 from three himself). The Lakers were able to get into the paint for scores (LeBron 9-9 in the paint). L.A. won the battle of the paint 50-46.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DrDent
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975

PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:36 pm    Post subject:

First?

RAWR! [First!]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DrDent
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975

PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:41 pm    Post subject:

Nice write-up DB.

Media has ran with the "Ive spoken to teams and they think if you punch the Lakers in the mouth, they get soft"

Well, not tonight.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
jonnybravo
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 21 Sep 2007
Posts: 30619

PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:46 pm    Post subject:

Still the best player in the league. I have zero doubt by now that Lebron is going to put his stamp on the playoffs. Year 17...unbelievable.
_________________
KOBE
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TooMuchMajicBuss
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 17 Sep 2008
Posts: 21064
Location: In a white room, with black curtains near the station

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 12:06 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Great game for the Lakers, great write-up as always!

LBJ was overpowering.

Caruso - great defense and he got some offense going when the team was flat.

Morris - good to see him contribute in a meaningful way.

I thought everyone scrapped pretty hard out there. Great to see this one in the win column!!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Dr. Laker
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 17065

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 12:15 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB! Decisive victory tonight.
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
danzag
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 28 Apr 2013
Posts: 22244
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:35 am    Post subject:

WE'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS!

20-0 when LeBron scores 30+ points.

And where are the MFers calling AD "soft" during the first half? Cut the crap.


Last edited by danzag on Sat Mar 07, 2020 2:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
akgolf
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1448
Location: Edmond, Oklahoma

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:39 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
unleasHell
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 11591
Location: Stay Thirsty my Friends

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:34 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB, very satisfying and needed win.

The Lakers have now avenged road losses to the Bucks, Celtics and 76rs, still need to beat the Pacers and Clippers...!

NOTE: I know they played some great Defense and made some other hustle plays, BUT: McGee, Green and Bradley combining for 13 points is pretty pathetic, especially if you look at their total minutes played (2 @ 30 mins & 1 @ 20 mins) good thing our bench came through...!

Correction: Lakers 20-0 when Lebron scores at least 30!
_________________
“Always remember... Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
ElginBaylor
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 10772
Location: Hoosier Nation

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 6:11 am    Post subject:

Nice recap DB. Thanks.
_________________
Not a legend
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
LakerLanny
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 24 Oct 2001
Posts: 47565

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 10:30 am    Post subject:

Big win. Milwaukee is very impressive as they didn't play their best game, but they kept coming and it took everything the Lakers had to hold them off.

Could very easily be a Finals preview.
_________________
Love, Laker Lanny
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DrDent
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:13 am    Post subject:

danzag wrote:
WE'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS!

20-0 when LeBron scores 20+ points.

And where are the MFers calling AD "soft" during the first half? Cut the crap.


I think its 30+

I dont disagree. Ive criticized AD for not being more assertive when guarded by smaller guys but he is not soft...at a minimum on defense hes a beast and will go after anyone
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Hammett
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 20 Dec 2008
Posts: 9309

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:21 am    Post subject:

Any sportswriter who is still thinking of voting for Giannis needs to get a "Clockwork Orange" treatment and watch the highlights of this game!
_________________
Lakers. Built different.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
danzag
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 28 Apr 2013
Posts: 22244
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 2:13 pm    Post subject:

Lakers are 41-0 this season when leading to start the 4th quarter.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
kevin_405
Sixth Man
Sixth Man


Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 98

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 2:39 pm    Post subject:

The game changer was in the 2nd half how the Lakers played pick and roll and crashing inside and taking out the center who was planted in the key to prevent attack to the basket. This was the best adjustment I have seen from Vogel and coaching team. It was instrumental in the 18-0 run that took the game away from Bucks.

Kuzmas probably had instructions to jack up shots. I don't think the coaching staff know how to use him. He needs to play more with LBJ or Markieff and need to be put in pick and roll situations instead of asking him to jack up 3s.

Rondo the less the said the better. He made a 3 ptr which was waived off due to a foul inside. It got him into jack the 3 mode after that

But overall the best defensive game played by the lakers
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Nobody
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 13 Sep 2008
Posts: 5699
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2020 3:35 pm    Post subject:

Wholesome win!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
lounger
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 4291

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 4:35 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB! What an emotional win!

Watching this mini-movie makes it more epic...

Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Lakers#1Team
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 36360
Location: Nomad

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:21 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TDRock
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 48596
Location: LA to the Bay

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:27 pm    Post subject:

Just read this. Yay winning!

Thanks DB
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:28 pm    Post subject:

kevin_405 wrote:
The game changer was in the 2nd half how the Lakers played pick and roll and crashing inside and taking out the center who was planted in the key to prevent attack to the basket. This was the best adjustment I have seen from Vogel and coaching team. It was instrumental in the 18-0 run that took the game away from Bucks.



Yeah, we stole that from an opponent (Celtics I think). I’m sure we will see more of it. Some nice X’s and O’s the past couple games in the second half.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB