Game Thread: Bucks/Lakers

by Alex Boeder on Dec 7, 2008 12:15 PM CST in Previews

Shooting stars. (via NBA.com)

Bucks (9-12, 4-8 road) @ Lakers (16-2, 9-1 home)

Gametime: 8:30 p.m. central time (FSN-W)

Bucks	Position	Lakers
Luke Ridnour	PG	Derek Fisher
Michael Redd	SG	Kobe Bryant
Richard Jefferson	SF	Vladimir Radmanovich
Malik Allen	PF	Pau Gasol
Andrew Bogut	C	Andrew Bynum

Injuries:

Bucks: Charlie Bell (ankle) has missed three straight games and is day-to-day.

Lakers: None.

07/08 Series:

Nov. 21: @Bucks 110 Lakers 103

Jan. 11: @Lakers 110 Bucks 105

08/09 Advanced Stats:

Bucks: Offense: 24th (102.8 points/100 possessions) Defense: 11th (104.5) Pace: 17th (91.4)

Lakers: Offense: 2nd (113.2 points/100 possessions) Defense: 3rd (100.5) Pace: 3rd (105.9)

Three points:

Second quarter. You might want to pay special attention during the second quarter tonight, or you might want to cover your eyes. The Lakers have won an NBA-best 76 % of its second quarters this season, whereas Milwaukee is at its worst right before halftime. The Bucks have won a dreadful 23 % of second quarters, only better than the Thunder.
Deep lakes. Only two Lakers average 30+ minutes per game: Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The playing time is spread out for a couple reasons. First, the Lakers are deep everywhere. Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza, and Jordan Farmar are some of the best backups in basketball. Twenty-eight year-old Luke Walton (4.5 mpg) can't even find the court anymore despite coming off two strong seasons. Secondly, the Lakers are outscoring opponents by an incredible 12.2 points per game. That +12.2 differential is the same as the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls who went 72-10. The lopsided nature of games has enabled Los Angeles to rest starters. There is some hope, as the Lakers are coming off a tight, 104-102 win against the lowly Wizards. Plus, the Bucks split last year's season series and actually outscored the Lakers by two points.
Michard Jefferedd? Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson are putting up very similar stats in many categories thus far. Consider: Points: Redd (20.4) Jefferson (19.1) Assists: Redd (2.1) Jefferson (2.1) FG%: Redd (43.6) Jefferson (43.6) 3PT%: Redd (41.7) Jefferson (40.3) FT%: Redd (80.0) Jefferson (78.2) Steals: Redd (0.7) Jefferson (0.7).

Coverage:

Bucks.com / Forum Blue and Gold / The Lakers Nation / L.A. Ball Talk / Lakers Blog / Sports Hub L.A.

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Comments

Lakers are apparently 13.5 point favorites—I’m a horrible gambler and I’m not going to predict a Bucks win, but for what it’s worth the Bucks have yet to lose by more than 13 this year. Opening night they lost by that margin to the Bulls and they’ve also lost in Boston and Cleveland by 12.

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Dec 7, 2008 8:27 PM CST reply actions

Good news—Michael Redd still believes the best reaction to a double team is dribbling into a corner, jumping up and throwing it away. On a related Redd has 0 points, rebounds and assists in the first.

www.BrewHoop.com

by Frank Madden on Dec 7, 2008 9:09 PM CST reply actions