The Milwaukee Bucks end the California portion of their road trip tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Milwaukee lost the previous matchup 119-95 on November 15th; they were dominated in the pick-and-roll by Luka Doncic. They must show a better game plan tonight in order to split the season series.
Where We’re At
It would have been a tall ask for the Bucks to go perfect in 2026, let alone on this road trip. The Bucks were competitive against Golden State; there were just small margins, like free throws, that didn’t go their way. We are starting to get a sense of what this team can be at its best, but we still need to see some tweaks. Kevin Porter Jr sometimes takes too much of the offense. Myles Turner drifts from impactful to anonymous. The Bucks can’t get a good game from both AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. Some of that comes down to poor coaching from Doc Rivers, but the Bucks are in a better position than they were even a week ago.
We are getting a clear look at the future of the Los Angeles Lakers. A team that was so dependent on LeBron James to do everything has gotten off to a good start to the season without him being much of a factor. Luka Doncic is arguably having the best season of his career, averaging a stat line of 33.7/8.0/8.8; Austin Reaves also made a leap to being an All-Star talent, and DeAndre Ayton hasn’t been awful, which is a win for him. The Lakers haven’t been spectacular the last 10 games, only winning five of them, but this seems to be a team that could be the second seed in a tough Western Conference.
Injury Report
The Bucks will be without Taurean Prince (neck surgery), and the Lakers will be without Austin Reaves. LeBron James and Rui Hachimura are both questionable.
Player To Watch
There is a strong chance that, when he is on, Kyle Kuzma will be tasked with guarding Luka Doncic. Godspeed to him. The main thing fans should look for from Kuzma (and the team in general) is this: can they take something away from Doncic. You won’t take everything away, but you need to try and dictate at least some of what he does. Maybe they blitz the pick-and-roll, rotate onto the big, and make corner shooters beat them. Maybe they cover him with one guy and make him beat them by scoring 50. Whatever the case, he can’t end up dominating on multiple levels. Oh, and please make him play defence!
How To Watch
9:30 p.m. CST on NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Wisconsin.
