How the Lakers exposed the Bucks problems

We're back with another watch this time, it's the Lakers without LeBron James in Milwaukee. Let's pick up the fourth quarter, where this has been a one-sided game for the most part, the Lakers were blitzed to start the game 26 to 8. Led by the Bucks, they couldn't get the offense going without LeBron James, meanwhile, it's been pretty smooth for Milwaukee, there's Dame Lillard with a raised elbow to give them a 9475 lead here, a really cool back and forth from Anthony Davis and Giannis for this game. Giannis on the bench right now and now let's see what D'Angelo Russell can do Signs of life with the floater with Giannis out Bobby Poris is the biggest and you see that he can't get an inside position on Davis, so the announcement is made.

I cut it back to 17, uh, excuse me, 15, but I still feel like Milwaukee is in charge with Giannis taking a break here. Lillard misses the ad contest fade and D'Angelo Russell and of course he's a quick shooter and cuts us to 12 and Milwaukee needs a timeout and right after the timeout they go to Giannis in the post against the ad and he he goes out of bounds to turn the ball over and this is just a great matchup every time these guys get together. I feel like it's fireworks because because of the physicality between them, good hands from Chris Middleton, the Bucks are double big right now, so Giannis is out of the game.

Prince Lopez is the one who makes the good rotation there at the rim and then Anak Koopa in transition, he got stuck. Prince is the key by getting his hand on the ball, which slows down Giannis and waits for a player in the corner. There is a slight lack of communication. It's a 12-point game. With six minutes left, they're going to go to this high pick and roll and AD gets a good result. little floater and this is the problem because Brook Lopez wants to be in a deeper drop, he is less mobile than Giannis, so he is paired with an ad that has that little cushion in the middle of the paint.

That's the shot the Bucks are going to give up on that play, but it's also one of Davis' favorite short mid-range floater types, so now it's a 10-point game and that's just a fantastic pass from Chris Middleton and Giannis. He's had another monster game and he's been on an incredible run especially this season. Offensively it makes Davis compromise slightly, he's small ball so right now there are no other big players and you can see Torian Prince is the second biggest Laker out there and Chris Middleton might be bigger than him and he's the third biggest Davis's greatest player, which isn't much. he never was, but he stopped taking them in many situations, he fell below 30%, but it was timely as he is limping, he played a lot of minutes in the first half, he played a lot in the second half and the lead has been reduced to nine here.

Reeves with isolation and no one providing help from the weak side. Lillard is the short man, traditionally he does, but Giannis is much bigger and better and just reacts late to that push, too quick from Austin Rees. open space and now you're starting to get that feeling like wait a second, this isn't going to be one of those explosions that the Lakers are causing

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. Oh big load taken from Austin Reeves, he tried to take at least one of these in the first half. He didn't succeed that time, I think he was there before, that's really all he can do against Giannis.

By the way, Giannis had seven turnovers in this game and there is another defensive failure for Milwaukee, it is a basic screen away from Davis to get Reeves out. the action again Brook Lopez somewhat caught off guard Giannis never reacts from the corner, no one reacts and suddenly we are down to five and, interestingly, the Lakers will take another timeout here to rest a little and buy some time. for Anthony Davis, they work on the quadriceps area of ​​the knee and out of the timeout they go to that Dame Lillard Giannis action that so many people are interested in seeing what it looks like in the playoffs, they are executing it more cleanly.

Airmail that the Lakers are just looking for a lot of guard action because they have a lot of guards on the floor trying to create some space screens out of the pick and roll, things like that. You see Davis is just hobbling the little guy. Twan with Giannis and then immediately draws the Defenders because Prince is slow to recover an extra pass, another big shot from Milwaukee early here and we're back to 10, the Bucks should feel good, so they pick Dame for what he brings a zaka. In terms of her physical will to get to the basket like Davis, the angles, the size, it really bothers her and it's a game changer and we could get back to that when we get back into action in the fourth quarter, this time Middleton Reeves . again holds his own against a bigger, more forceful type of offensive player who likes those post-ups Davis feels it a second timely three-pointer from Anthony Davis.

I tell you these guys always deliver when they go against each other uh in at least in Los Angeles this goes back to there was a big game in 2020 at Staples Center and there's the length of Davis that almost forced another turnover in competition, they returned to Twan Lillard action Giannis Middleton shoots on him, oh, it's the third time probably the charm He should have run to the rim there instead of the three-point line. I think it was a tactical mistake because you had a four against two or something like that, a lot of shooters on the outside.

You can see that he just stays with Giannis. There's tons of room here for Middleton again with this ISO which is a tough 20 foot step back so Milwaukee's half court shooting in the last five minutes of this game hasn't been very good and oh my goodness Austin Reeves narrows it down to two and this is basically the closest the Lakers have ever gotten. All game long they go back to Lillard Giannis' pick and roll, you see Davis close to the level. Reeves does a good job. It's a pretty good look for Dame and this defense is too easy to attack.

They put Brook Lopez in the pick and roll. goes to the drop Beasley doesn't run the screen perfectly Prince is wide open on the pop Middleton moves in to take away that corner pass but that leaves the lane open Lopez recovers in the corner and has no interest in staying in the paint to Helping Middleton never takes away that momentum, so Beasley left him behind, everything is too easy to attack, so Prince takes second. We're tied with 40 seconds left. I mean it's the first time we tied from 0, another difficult Middleton. jumper, if we run this back, okay, the Bucks are adding a little wrinkle so Giannis and Damon do the pick and roll together, it's a staggered screen, the best pass is probably to the corner, but that's a pass Harder to do when you're small like Dame. and when Anthony Davis is the guy in front of you and then you give credit to Reeves, he's in a great position on the closeout, he completely stops Chris' attack and I don't love that shot with 11 seconds left on the shot clock, chasing Lillard with a and Malik Beasley comes in to make the play.

Doc Rivers actually challenges this decision by saying that it was D'Angelo Russell's last one and the beauty of the clock is that we can jump ahead to where the Bucks win the challenge and have 13 seconds left to make a winning play and again it will be Lillard, the problem is that Anthony Davis attacks him now, this is not an easy shot to get, so you want to go to Giannis with Spencer dwy mismatch on the perimeter, but Spencer Dwy with a lack of super high IQ, you see that he instantly reaches and commits that foul because they have one to give and it is not in the shooting movement on the outside, so that leaves us 3 seconds and we cannot see it well, but they made a lob to Ana Deo and basically, as you will see in the replay here, it seems that the layup misses, there is a little contact with Davis on the body, below, it doesn't seem like much, although not the arm.

It does not extend when he is in the air. I think Giannis basically misses his leg. It's a great decision. Great out of bounds play that left the Lakers with 8/10 of a second to get this action, so Austin Reeves almost with the highlight, but. One thing here is that there are 8/10 of a second left, two players are going to Davis for Milwaukee because that lob action we just saw is fresh in his mind and Reeves is wide open to be able to stop at the three-point line, but plus it's a tied game you don't need a three, you can actually just stop at the elbow at 18 feet you can stop and take the closest comfortable shot you don't have to go another 10 feet to the logo, that's a subtle little thing there In a game tied, you want the highest shooting percentage, not the shot that produces the most points in the long run.

Okay, so extra three-man basketball game screen and throw to The Corner. Chris Middleton saw Giannis well all over the glass, hostile rebounds and You can see Russell, he wants to attack Lillard in the post and that's a great rotation of Middleton and Giannis to create that steal and then run in transition and it's interesting that Giannis He didn't attack there kicking Malik Beasley for the three. However, unless there were two, nothing. I don't know if the Lakers have ever led in this game. It's one of those same plays we saw earlier in the fourth quarter, a little guard-to-guard screen.

Austin Reeves arrives outside and now in total. In this space, you swing it and punish the guard for helping D'Angelo Russell, great job by Austin Reeves, little floater before help can come, same play for Milwaukee that we just saw and it will become another isolation that they maintain. going after Austin Reeves finally someone makes one of these jump shots, it's a really difficult shot. I think the Lakers defense lives with that, plus I think long term for Milwaukee if you're getting these shots down the stretch of key games against good ones. defenses these are not winning shots ruy he just sneaks in the exact same play again h pick and roll on the handoff for Middleton beautiful lob this time Giannis got behind Anthony Davis that's the shot you want from the Milwaukee Lakers go pick and pop and D Davis with another three Anthony Davis with his third big triple down the stretch of this game, that was like a Plinko bounce on the price, that's right, it hit all parts of the rim and finally went in, this time the Bucks They changed the play a little, the screen. from Giannis and then Lillard, instead of throwing it to Middleton, gets a screen from him, catches them off guard, defense has to collapse, swings at an open Lopez, but again, it's a Brook Lopez shot from 27t, that's Spencer, it's the first triple of the game.

Well, I will say that Lopez opening three from 27 feet is probably a higher offensive percentage than this. Spencer didn't make a nifty shot, but sometimes you feel the big Big Shot moment, so the Bucks got exactly what they wanted out of it. action, this is the same configuration you have been using. Lillard gets a screen from Yannis Middleton there for a potential handoff, but what they're really looking for is this green screen for Malik Beasley. Beasley, that's his shot, great look to tie the game. too strong and you can start to see the fatigue of the Lakers.

They don't take this possession until 12 seconds are on the clock and that's why it all ends up going nowhere. Boy Tough shot from Lillard and I think you have to look for Giannis there, he had a crossover with D'Angelo Russell Anthony Davis near the basket and they get another one of these contested mid-range shots, great advice from Ana Deo, they are going to come back to this Davis Reeves pick and roll to get the change this time the pass comes and ruy haimura that's the power of the skip pass they are putting Dame Lillard in the action when he has to change like this Bobby poris slides to try to escape Dame Lillard because there is a big mismatch with Anthony Davis and that opening is what Austin Reeves hits brilliantly to launch Ruy on the drive, there is no one big left, remember the Bucks also have a small lineup, so Giannis in the Center you have Anthony Davis in the Center Bobby poris.

He is another great, but he is not the same as Brook Lopez, especially when the Lakers play ruy at the four. Oh, good look at Beasley that time on The Rim he just couldn't finish it and this will be three free throws for Damen Lillard on that. little handoff action, I'm not sure there was any contact that was hard to see from that angle, but you still put a great free throw shooter on the line in a big situation and of course Dame makes the three to put to Milwaukee again in front and then dwit. It gets downhill and there's another tough call with 32 seconds left, whichever direction it goes, a huge ball comes off the foot of Middleton 15 to shoot at Reeves and he receives the same call as he just received the free throws in the other end, the little body action towards him as he came off the screen there was a lot of symmetry in this play, he does both and now the Lakers have a one point lead Pick and roll high Davis switches Davis wow blocks Lillard and he they spin with a perfect look and, of course, Dam and Lillard, he of many important shots in NBA history, what a 14-second back-and-forth game, so what we've seen is D'Angelo Russell or Austin Reeves in that pick and rollwith Davis or in guard action, this time it's Russell. they use Ruy as a blocker, give Jay Crowder a switch, another foul, it's an interesting idea.

I think isolating Crowder and attacking him with Russell and I don't think Crowder commits the foul, it's Chris Middleton on the arm and it's 117. all so that the Bucks have three seconds and if we go back at the end of the third quarter we can see that Anthony Davis is somewhat exhausted coming back down the court and that means Austin Reeves is stuck trying to box out Giannis and gets an offensive rebound and returns it to the buzzer, so the Bucks have already had a buzzer beater in this game, the Lakers had something similar on the last play of the first quarter with Davis cutting off Giannis sliding for that dunk opportunity at the buzzer, so every buzzer team hits all kinds of symmetry on fouls and madness that takes us to 3 seconds left and this play is Lillard and guess who Anthony Davis is again, he just completely upset so many possessions down the stretch of this game and this is What's so strange with the Lakers as they sit in the player position this season in big games against the better teams, really physical teams.

Anthony Davis simply has this team take away their best option from him. In this case, it is his matchup with Giannis and the pick and roll actions with Lillard and specifically Lillard and Giannis, which is the favorite play that the Bucks want to run at that moment, simply a heroic block, more free basketball and maintaining fatigue on the back of the head. We saw Davis lumbering forward earlier in the third. he fourth earlier in the game and he has played all but five or six minutes of this game. The Lakers use Ruie as a blocker again.

This feels like a very deliberate change as Bobby Poris instead of Jay Crowder gets the short DLo change again. No I don't know if that's the best shot of that, so we give credit to Bobby Poris and then Poris with the seal, but he misses the bunny and it's another block save from Anthony Davis, who doesn't even look like he can run. This is like a classic Anthony Davis performance, he's injured and dominating and then a bad pass, just a gift straight from Spencer Den, clever, not his night, oh and a great look, and now I'm getting tired of watching to the Lakers to send spam. this action where they keep attacking Bobby Poris but they only get three steps back another chance DW, pass directly Lillard misses the layup and Lillard passes to a mid ranger to get a better look and it's another Beasley Miss and I always wonder about the fatigue in these places, there's been a whistle on huge minutes of double overtime, this is a really long period for these players, most of them have been there forever and what effect does that have on your three point percentages at that point? really 40% shooting in the corner, I mean they can't even come back, no one can guard anyone right now, they already have isolated pores here so there's no need to block Giannis he's low at the basket, another step back three and that's part of the fatigue is taking care of it, it's just not like that, you don't have the mustard, you don't have the energy to put it on the deck and go through the guy that's in front of you now, Giannis against Davis, they don't have than to help him. he gets a spin and this is a foul and this is a weird call because Davis hits him in the arm on the reach, that's the foul and then Giannis, because he's stuck at the last second, changes his mind to pass, that's a little strange to me.

Seems like it should be a shooting foul, but maybe a break for the Lakers, maybe not because of Giannis' free throw that hit another open three for Beasley and he's a great shooter, but maybe part of being a great shooter It's that you hit them when you're exhausted. you make them when the stakes are high oh Lillard pick six multiple defensive

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and misses for him and Milwaukee down the stretch of this game but that was a great play but then no one comes back look at the situation where no one this. the paint Reeves makes a layup and this is just part of the fatigue if we run it back there are almost no dollars inside the three point line when Spencer DW goes to push and then in the closing Lillard doesn't really seem to understand where Reeves is any of the other three dollars he understands that they need to help in the basket and in the blink of an eye we are tied what game there is the two-man pick and roll Beautiful ending By Giannis he was left behind and that time there is no size in The Rim, that It's what you want and the same problem, the exact same problem, the Bucks only have Lillard.

I mean, clever Den calls himself Lillard like he's a traffic cone, he probably should've made the layup. Bobby Poris was there to save him and draw a foul. The Bucks challenged this. By the way, to see if he was in the act of shooting, he was in fact in the act of active shooting, so he didn't do it. We are tied again with one minute left. High pick and two-man game throw Giannis to Davis and length. Alters Russell's shot with a great block and now Giannis goes to Davis in the post in ISO that's not going to work incredible performance by Anthony Davis with other players maybe off bam Giannis gets a great look in those situations and Austin Reeves I mean We saw this down the stretch last year in the playoffs.

He loves big shots. He finally makes one of those. Oh wow, this is Davis again. Look at this. Giannis sets the screen higher to throw off the defense, but Davis is beyond the three-point line. ready for it and then Ard can't even shoot and then he recovers on the move, gives Spencer Dwy a lot of credit for switching there and makes the cheap foul, but they were looking for that quick three from the pullup and Anthony Davis is It just feels like it's everywhere in these games, it's games like this when people talk about defensive cheat codes, that's a big offensive rebound from Giannis, but now it's on the line and you have this adventure first, you don't It's good, Reggie Miller on the broadcast talking. about how Miss Giannis can come in any direction, it's so cold because he's still a 60-something free throw shooter, but you just expect Clank to do it in all different directions, two big misses and with 22 seconds the Bucks basically have to foul. they're looking for the steel first they fouled D'Angelo Russell is very good at shooting free throws, he makes the free throws and that basically puts this game on ice an incredible performance from the Lakers side Reeves 29 points 14 rebounds 10 assists Malik Beasley scores a three-pointer to reduce the score to two, but the Bucks need a steal inside the field, they don't get it and they missed a lot of shots, three of eight from downtown, 12 of 31 from the field, especially in the first half, he had a pair. grenades but he finishes with 34 points 23 rebounds four blocks an incredible defense at the end of the game there Giannis with 29 points 21 rebounds 11 assists three blocks two steals but he had seven turnovers and a lot of them were against Anthony Davis and especially in the stretch of this game between fatigue and AD he just couldn't impart his will like you want from your offensive player Superstar so just one of six from the free throw line I hope you enjoyed it it was wild, it was crazy thanks as always for watching all the way and of course I hope you are having a great day