Lakers Visit Bucks In Battle Of Contenders
The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Los Angeles Lakers at Fiserv Forum on Thursday evening.
The Bucks (9-5) are coming off a 125-123 loss against the Brooklyn Nets the last time out, and that result snapped their four-game winning streak. However, the Bucks have posted a 7-3 record over their last 10 contests and remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. During the loss against the Nets, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 34 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, in 39 minutes. Khris Middleton followed up with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals, but he missed the potential game-winning shot when his three-pointer bounced off the rim. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday tallied 22 points, six assists and four rebounds. The Bucks shot 44 percent from the field, including 11-of-37 from long range, in Monday's loss. They will need to shake off their woes quickly since they will collide with another title contender -- and the reigning champions -- on Thursday.
The Bucks are not reporting any injury casualties prior to this game.
The Lakers (11-4) are coming off a disappointing 105-103 home loss against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, as the Lakers led by as much as 16 points at halftime only to come up short in the end. That defeat also ended the Lakers' five-game winning streak, but they've still posted a strong 8-2 record over their last 10 contests. Dennis Schroder led the Lakers with 25 points, complementing them with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. James turned in 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Anthony Davis generated a 17-point, 17-rebound double-double that also included seven assists, three blocks and two steals. Montrezl Harrell matched Davis' scoring tally and also pulled down eight rebounds. Kyle Kuzma posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.
The Lakers are reporting Jared Dudley (calf) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (knee) as game-time decisions for Thursday's contest.
The Bucks (9-5) are coming off a 125-123 loss against the Brooklyn Nets the last time out, and that result snapped their four-game winning streak. However, the Bucks have posted a 7-3 record over their last 10 contests and remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. During the loss against the Nets, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 34 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, in 39 minutes. Khris Middleton followed up with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals, but he missed the potential game-winning shot when his three-pointer bounced off the rim. Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday tallied 22 points, six assists and four rebounds. The Bucks shot 44 percent from the field, including 11-of-37 from long range, in Monday's loss. They will need to shake off their woes quickly since they will collide with another title contender -- and the reigning champions -- on Thursday.
The Bucks are not reporting any injury casualties prior to this game.
The Lakers (11-4) are coming off a disappointing 105-103 home loss against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, as the Lakers led by as much as 16 points at halftime only to come up short in the end. That defeat also ended the Lakers' five-game winning streak, but they've still posted a strong 8-2 record over their last 10 contests. Dennis Schroder led the Lakers with 25 points, complementing them with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. James turned in 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Anthony Davis generated a 17-point, 17-rebound double-double that also included seven assists, three blocks and two steals. Montrezl Harrell matched Davis' scoring tally and also pulled down eight rebounds. Kyle Kuzma posted a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.
The Lakers are reporting Jared Dudley (calf) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (knee) as game-time decisions for Thursday's contest.
Warriors Host Knicks On Second Night Of Back-To-Back
By Dan Bruno
The Golden State Warriors play host to the New York Knicks at Chase Center on Thursday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors (8-6), as they are coming off a home win over the Spurs on Wednesday, where they never trailed and led by as many as 25 points. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, in the win, while James Wiseman had a strong outing, with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Andrew Wiggins tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Warriors will look to add to a, 5-3, home record by closing out their two-game home stand with a second win. They are averaging 112.3 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 114.0 points against, indicating that despite a strong offense, their defense has been an issue. Stephen Curry is the team's leading scorer and is averaging 29.2 points on 46 percent shooting over the last 10 games. Despite being relatively quiet on the stat sheet so far this season, Draymond Green continues to be a major factor in the Warriors' success, averaging 4.3 points, 6.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals, in 27 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, the Knicks (7-8) are coming off two straight wins as they kick off a four-game road trip and look to build on their, 4-4, road record. They are the second-lowest scoring team in the league, averaging 100.6 points per game, but they compensate on the defensive end, where they are holding opponents to league-low averages of 102.7 points per game and 43.3 percent shooting. Julius Randle has been great to start the season, averaging 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists, in 37 minutes per game. R.J. Barrett is the Knicks next-highest scorer, averaging 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while Elfrid Payton is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Warriors (8-6), as they are coming off a home win over the Spurs on Wednesday, where they never trailed and led by as many as 25 points. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, in the win, while James Wiseman had a strong outing, with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Andrew Wiggins tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The Warriors will look to add to a, 5-3, home record by closing out their two-game home stand with a second win. They are averaging 112.3 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 114.0 points against, indicating that despite a strong offense, their defense has been an issue. Stephen Curry is the team's leading scorer and is averaging 29.2 points on 46 percent shooting over the last 10 games. Despite being relatively quiet on the stat sheet so far this season, Draymond Green continues to be a major factor in the Warriors' success, averaging 4.3 points, 6.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals, in 27 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, the Knicks (7-8) are coming off two straight wins as they kick off a four-game road trip and look to build on their, 4-4, road record. They are the second-lowest scoring team in the league, averaging 100.6 points per game, but they compensate on the defensive end, where they are holding opponents to league-low averages of 102.7 points per game and 43.3 percent shooting. Julius Randle has been great to start the season, averaging 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists, in 37 minutes per game. R.J. Barrett is the Knicks next-highest scorer, averaging 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while Elfrid Payton is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Jazz Host Pelicans on Thursday
The New Orleans Pelicans travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Thursday.
The Pelicans (5-8) just continue to play poorly, entering this matchup losing six of their last seven games. While many of them were close at the beginning of this rut, the last two have been absolute blowouts. That's a really discouraging sign from such a young team and the 118-102 loss on Tuesday to the Utah Jazz was an ugly one. The final scoreline is actually closer than the game appeared, with Utah holding a double-digit lead for the final 20 minutes of play. The only silver lining was 32 points from Zion Williamson, who now has 63 combined points over his last two games on an absurd 27-of-34 from the field. Zion and Brandon Ingram have been doing all they can this season but the Pelicans won't be successful unless they get more from their backcourt. That's on Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe to figure things out because they're way too good of players to be playing the way they are right now.
The Jazz (10-4) handed the Pelicans that beatdown on Tuesday, giving them six-straight victories. That's a heck of a run and it has Utah looking like one of the best teams in the NBA. Much like past seasons, it's the defense carrying them to this point. The Jazz currently sit fourth in points allowed and first in rebounding which is commonplace for this defensive juggernaut. What makes this run even more amazing is the fact that Donovan Mitchell has taken a step back statistically this season. What it has done is allow Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson to do more, which has obviously done wonders for the team as a whole.
The Tuesday Utah victory gave them 13 wins in their last 16 meetings with the Pelicans.
The Pelicans (5-8) just continue to play poorly, entering this matchup losing six of their last seven games. While many of them were close at the beginning of this rut, the last two have been absolute blowouts. That's a really discouraging sign from such a young team and the 118-102 loss on Tuesday to the Utah Jazz was an ugly one. The final scoreline is actually closer than the game appeared, with Utah holding a double-digit lead for the final 20 minutes of play. The only silver lining was 32 points from Zion Williamson, who now has 63 combined points over his last two games on an absurd 27-of-34 from the field. Zion and Brandon Ingram have been doing all they can this season but the Pelicans won't be successful unless they get more from their backcourt. That's on Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe to figure things out because they're way too good of players to be playing the way they are right now.
The Jazz (10-4) handed the Pelicans that beatdown on Tuesday, giving them six-straight victories. That's a heck of a run and it has Utah looking like one of the best teams in the NBA. Much like past seasons, it's the defense carrying them to this point. The Jazz currently sit fourth in points allowed and first in rebounding which is commonplace for this defensive juggernaut. What makes this run even more amazing is the fact that Donovan Mitchell has taken a step back statistically this season. What it has done is allow Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson to do more, which has obviously done wonders for the team as a whole.
The Tuesday Utah victory gave them 13 wins in their last 16 meetings with the Pelicans.