Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Milwaukee Bucks where the Lakers hung tight against the Bucks for 48 minutes. But in the end, the Bucks proved to be too much for the Lakers as they rally to beat the LakeShow 131-120.
It was fun until the final stretch fourth quarter. This game had a stomach-sickening finish. As the Lakers hit this stretch of the season, there's absolutely no room for error. And they had to get off a good start at the beginning of March. It was going to be tall task to knock off these Bucks. I can't say I'm not proud of this effort from the Lakers. But, this is an example of how good teams find ways to win. Milwaukee earned their status. They are no joke this year. It's either between them and Toronto for the East. Of course they have Boston and Philly creeping, but those two teams are head and shoulders above the rest. While the Lakers are trying to find their stride in the competitive West.
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Brandon Ingram, 31 points, 8 rebounds, 13-21 shooting. B.I. continues his streak of 20+ point games. I've been watching the games and like I said he's finding his place on the team since the All-Star break and all the Anthony Davis trade fiasco. He's on a unbelievable streak. Tonight, he started off hot, going a perfect 8-8 from the field. He's so confident on his midrange and his ability to attack the basket. Of course, his first miss had to be a 3-point attempt, which he still needs to work on. That's the only thing missing from his itinerary. Of course, highlight of the night here: the poster dunk on Brook Lopez. I'm sure last year in those practices, Ingram wanted to dunk on him one day.
LeBron James, 31 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 10-19 shooting. LeBron turned on the playoff intensity once again here. We had a little scare again as he took a shot to the ribs from Ersan Ilyasova. We're like "oh no, not again." But, no problem as he's able to continue on and give the Bucks all kinds of problems when he makes his move to the hole. LeBron did enough with some heroics down the stretch, but it wasn't enough.
Rajon Rondo, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 7-19 shooting. I was on the fence of leaving Rondo off this list. Rondo attempted 12 threes tonight. He was missing all kinds of open shots and I believe on his 7th attempt, he started hitting the three-ball. Terrible start for Rajon, but he was able to make it up with some key plays and key buckets down the stretch.
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Final seconds of the 4th quarter. Eric Bledsoe with a couple of and 1's. There was a stretch where the Lakers were up 116-118 and had a possible possession for another score, but they threw it away. KCP had an ugly inbounds pass to LeBron, which pretty much sealed the game as Brogdon hit a dagger three. Then after, the Lakers had spent all their offense and they couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch. If anything, good teams find ways to finish. The Bucks were challenged the whole game and down the stretch of the game, they found ways to come up big.
Eric Bledsoe, 31 points. When it looked like the Lakers were gonna run away en route to an upset win, in comes Eric Bledsoe to save the day. Giannis put up some numbers, but didn't have that MVP-esque impact Bucks fans were accustomed to see. However, it was Bledsoe that stepped up. He's proven in his career that he's a lightning fast guard and once he has a step over his defender, he's already to the basket. Even more frustrating is his ability to balance scoring and facilitating. The Lakers couldn't keep a body up front on him nor could they keep up when he's ready to attack. There's no doubt Bledsoe killed the Lakers here. He sparked the late run in the third quarter. And he took the game over late in the fourth quarter with a couple of consecutive and 1's.
MVP
Brandon Ingram, 31 points, 8 rebounds, 13-21 shooting.
LeBron James, 31 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 10-19 shooting.
One of the rare times I give out co-MVPs. I haven't done that since Josh Hart and Gary Payton II at the end of last season. They've been carrying this team during this stretch. LeBron despite some lapses, will put up numbers and keep the Lakers afloat. Ingram has broken out during this stretch. They're the MVPs this game.
Conclusion
I heard after this game, the Bucks are the first team to clinch a playoff spot. Good for them, they deserve it. As I said, this month is going to be the Lakers' hardest stretch if they want to keep playoff hopes alive. They have Milwaukee twice this month. They have to go on a road trip to Toronto. They have some key matchups against the Clippers and the Kings that'll determine playoff implications. Oh, and there's also Denver and Boston to look out for as well. The margin of error is so slim if the Lakers are hoping to snag that last playoff spot. I swear if they lose to Phoenix tomorrow after a draining loss like this, then I feel it's over for this team barring a big-time choke by the Clippers and/or Sacramento. We'll see what this Lakers team is made of. Fight or flight from here on out. I'll see you guys later.
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