Bucks-Lakers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Jan 14 2013 9:51PM

Even before Dwight Howard returned from injury, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni was looking for a fresh start for his team.

The Lakers may have gotten that with Howard's help, but a lackluster performance against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night could lead to some of the same feelings that were generated during a lengthy skid.

After a sixth straight loss Friday against Oklahoma City, D'Antoni declared that the Lakers' season was starting again Sunday against visiting Cleveland.

"I don't know if it's so literal but at the same time, we realized we don't have time to fall further behind," point guard Steve Nash said. "We can't give away games."

Getting Howard back from a three-game absence due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder only added to that new beginning. The star center had 22 points and 14 rebounds in his return and the Lakers (16-21) ended their skid with a 113-93 rout of the visiting Cavaliers.

"It's great to have Dwight back. He's obviously huge for our team. We need him down there anchoring the defense and drawing a crowd on offense," Nash said.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 23 points - his 21st straight game with 20 or more - during his team's season-best 58.0-percent shooting performance.

"We obviously ran into a tough patch last week. We were struggling, were decimated by injuries and we just so happened to play some of the top teams in the league," he said. "Now here's an opportunity to really pick it up and get going."

The Lakers now take on a pair of teams with winning records to wrap up their four-game homestand - Milwaukee (19-17) and Miami on Thursday - and they likely won't have Pau Gasol to help. Gasol is expected to miss a fifth consecutive game due to a concussion.

The Bucks enter this game 3-1 under interim coach Jim Boylan after losing the final four games in Scott Skiles' tenure. They pulled away late for a 107-96 win in Toronto on Sunday.

Brandon Jennings recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 assists en route to earning Eastern Conference player of the week honors. Rookie John Henson also scored 19, one shy of tying his career high, and Milwaukee matched a season high with 51.9 percent shooting in the opener of its four-game road trip.

Larry Sanders also provided a pair of key blocks down the stretch, and finished with 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

"From where he was just a few months ago to where is he now, I've never seen anybody make that sort of progress," Boylan said. "Larry can do things that very few guys can do with his defensive ability. We're fortunate to have him. In the fourth quarter I thought he was just phenomenal."

The Bucks have won back-to-back games over the Lakers after losing six straight matchups, prevailing 100-89 in the most recent meeting Jan. 28 in Milwaukee. Drew Gooden led six Milwaukee players in double figures with 23 points while Bryant, with 27, was the only Los Angeles player to score more than 15.

In their last trip to Staples Center on Jan. 21, 2010, the Bucks won for only the third time in 19 visits to the Lakers.

This time, though, Milwaukee will likely have to face Howard, who averaged 27.3 points and 16.7 rebounds in his last three matchups last season while with Orlando.

Kobe, Dwight get 31 each in Lakers' win over Bucks

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Jan 16 2013 2:25AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant played relentless defense, spurring his fellow Los Angeles Lakers to do the same. Dwight Howard dominated the paint, scoring easy baskets and blocking shots against the bewildered Bucks.

Over the last two games, the Lakers have resembled the powerhouse everybody envisioned before their tumultuous season began.

They're about to find out whether they got it together in time to compete with the Miami Heat.

Howard had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Bryant also scored 31 points and the Lakers beat Milwaukee 104-88 Tuesday night for their second straight win after a six-game skid.

Metta World Peace added 12 points as the Lakers prepared for Thursday's visit from the NBA champion Heat with an impressive effort featuring 30-point games for both Bryant and Howard for the second time in their brief tenure together. After a similar effort against Cleveland two days earlier, the Lakers are cautiously optimistic they've solved a few problems.

"It's been great," Howard said. "When we play the way we played these last two games, I don't see anybody beating us. The problem is we have to do it on a consistent basis and not have any lapses during the game. We're learning, but stuff like that takes time. The biggest thing, we've just got to stick together. We can't let nothing on the outside tear us apart."

Howard again played with an obvious spark in his second game back from a three-game absence with a torn labrum in his shoulder, blocking four shots and goaltending a couple more when he wasn't busy overpowering the Bucks on offense. Bryant and Steve Nash, who had 11 assists, focused on getting the ball to Howard close to the rim, and the six-time All-Star center capitalized against Milwaukee's skinny post players.

"That's what we try to do," Bryant said. "A lot of it is predicated defensively on what the opposition does and what they're willing to give up. We've been knocking down some shots and putting me on the same side with (Howard) when Steve runs that screen-and-roll. I've knocked down some shots, and it frees him up and makes it a lot easier to get some baskets."

Monta Ellis scored 17 points for the Bucks, who lost for the second time in five games under interim coach Jim Boylan. Brandon Jennings was held to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting by Bryant, and Milwaukee's young star emerged from Staples Center with newfound respect for the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.

"I don't think I've ever seen anybody put that much pressure on a point guard full court for a whole game," Jennings said. "It was probably the best defense somebody's ever played on me since I've been in the league - just constantly putting pressure on me, touching me, hitting me at all times in the game. He wouldn't let me just catch the ball easy, and I wasn't able to get the ball a lot, so it was pretty difficult."

Los Angeles snapped its longest losing streak in nearly six years with a win over the Cavaliers on Sunday. Pau Gasol missed his fifth straight game Tuesday for the Lakers with a concussion, but the 7-foot Spaniard worked out before the game and will be re-examined before Miami's visit.

The Lakers took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but steadily increased it through the final minutes with a 23-7 run. Bryant dipped into his usual array of acrobatic shots while also setting up Howard for points in the paint, and the five-time NBA champion left to a standing ovation with 3:07 left in his 22nd consecutive game with at least 20 points.

"Kobe changed the complexion of the game with his pressure in the backcourt," Boylan said. "They knocked us off balance early, and we fought back. ... We missed a lot of shots, but mainly because of their pressure. They played a really good defensive game."

Jennings was the Eastern Conference's player of the week for averaging 24.5 points in the last four games under Boylan's leadership, but Bryant held him to two points in the first half. Jennings got going with a four-point play early in the third quarter, but never managed consistent production against Bryant and his teammates.

The Lakers' starters clicked on offense early, building a 12-point lead in the first quarter with dominant play down low from Howard. Ellis kept the Bucks close with a first-half scoring spree against the Lakers' reserves.

NOTES: Lakers G Steve Blake has pain in a muscle in his inner thigh, further delaying his return from abdominal surgery. The veteran point guard has played in just five games this season, sitting out since Nov. 11. ... The Lakers passed the midway point of their home schedule with a 12-9 record at Staples Center. ... Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and former Lakers and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy attended the game. Mike Dunleavy Jr. had 10 points for the Bucks.

Notebook: Lakers 104, Bucks 88

Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:58 AM - Updated Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:58 AM

THE FACTS: It's too soon to consider the latest success by the Lakers a rebirth. After all, they've shown they can slip back into their old habits quicker than Dwight Howard can get off the floor for a dunk. But the reclamation project is looking more rejuvenated after a 104-88 victory Tuesday night against the visiting Bucks. Howard had his second consecutive dominant performance since returning from a shoulder injury, and Kobe Bryant provided a lift on both ends of the floor, leading the Lakers to their second consecutive victory and pulling them within three games of the eighth and final playoff spot.

THE STAT: Howard finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots on the heels of his 22-point, 14-rebound effort Sunday against the visiting Cavaliers. Bryant also finished with 31 points, extending his streak of games with at least 20 points to 22. The only other player age 34 or over to put together such a streak was Karl Malone (29). Bryant also took on the task of guarding Milwaukee's second-leading scorer, point guard Brandon Jennings, holding him to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting.

QUOTABLE II: "Kobe changed the complexion of the game with his pressure in the backcourt. They knocked us off balance early."
-- Milwaukee coach Jim Boylan

TURNING POINT: The Lakers surged to a 12-point lead in the first seven minutes, gave it all back by the end of the opening quarter, then traded leads early in the second. They eased ahead for good late in the first half on a short jumper by Steve Nash, but couldn't get separation until Bryant sank 20-footer to end the third quarter and give L.A. a 79-73 lead. Metta World Peace then hit a jumper to open the fourth and Chris Duhon followed with a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead, 84-73. The Bucks stopped there, never getting closer than nine the rest of the way.

HOT: Howard finished 14-for-18 from the floor, putting him at 23-for-29 since returning from a three-game absence because of the shoulder injury. After shooting 12-for-19 against the Bucks, Bryant is 21-for-33 in the last two games. No other player shot better than 50 percent for the Lakers.

QUOTABLE: "This could be an average night for him when he gets fitter and more comfortable with the system."
-- Steve Nash on Howard

NOT: The Bucks nearly eclipsed their season-low shooting percentage of 35.3. They were 34-for-95 against the Lakers for a 35.8 conversion rate. Their starters combined to shoot 19-for-56 (33.9). If that wasn't bad enough, Milwaukee was also 13-for-22 from the free-throw line (59.1), which was also a tick above their season-low mark of 58.3. Monta Ellis was bad from everywhere, shooting 6-for-16 from the field and 3-for-9 from the free-throw line. The Lakers lone black mark came in the rebounding department. The Bucks collected 21 offensive rebounds, leading to 24 second-chance points.

QUOTABLE III: "We missed a lot of shots, but mainly because of their pressure. They played a really good game, a really good defensive game."
-- Jim Boylan

GOOD MOVE: Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni made a gutsy decision to start the game with Bryant defending Jennings, Earl Clark guarding Ellis and Nash on Luc Mbah a Moute. The struggles of Jennings and Clark have already been documented, but even Nash held his own against Mbah a Moute, despite giving away five inches. Mbah a Moute finished with 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting and only grabbed five rebounds in 26 minutes. Mbah a Moute tried posting up Nash several times early on. The one time he established good position down low, Howard stepped in and swatted his jump hook.

BAD MOVE: The Bucks had a good weapon to counter Howard in third-year center Larry Sanders, who leads the league with 15 games of four blocks or more. But he picked up two fouls in the first 4 ½ minutes and didn't return until 7:41 remained in the second. He picked up his third foul with 1:44 left in the half then missed an uncontested dunk in the opening minute of the third quarter, which would have cut the deficit to five. Sanders eventually finished with six points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

NOTABLE: This was the second time this season Howard and Bryant scored more than 30 points each. ... Ellis had never missed more than five free throws in a game during his eight-year NBA career. ... D'Antoni won the 400th game of his NBA coaching career. ... Lakers starting forward Pau Gasol missed his fifth consecutive game with concussion symptoms.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Thursday vs. Miami, Sunday @ Toronto, Monday @ Chicago. For the Bucks, Thursday @ Phoenix, Saturday @ Portland, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.

• Bucks: Lamb, Przybilla
• Lakers: Blake, Hill

• Bucks: Ellis
• Lakers: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #15 Bennett Salvatore, #45 Brian Forte, #20 Leroy Richardson
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:06