The Los Angeles Lakers squandered a big lead and went on to suffer a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, which was a costly defeat for their Western Conference playoff hopes.
While the Lakers have the good fortune of an extended stretch of games played in the state of California, they now face a Milwaukee Bucks team that has stabilized a bit.
The Bucks struggled at the start of Doc Rivers’ tenure as head coach but have won seven of their last 10 games entering Friday’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena. However, the Bucks are coming off a blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors.
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Sleeper Picks: Bucks vs. Lakers
Anthony Davis: 0.5 assist in first quarter
LeBron James has been ruled out due to soreness in his left ankle, and that places more of an emphasis on Anthony Davis to shoulder the load.
The Lakers are not only going to need Davis to score, but also help facilitate for others if Milwaukee sends a double-team or otherwise.
Davis has shown a willingness to pass and be effective at it, and he should register at least one assist in the first quarter.
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Rui Hachimura: 14.5 points
Similar to the situation with Davis, the Lakers figure to lean more heavily on Rui Hachimura’s scoring ability.
Hachimura has scored at least 17 points in six of his last nine games. Included in that was 29 points against the Kings on an efficient 13-for-17 shooting.
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