Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are in Hollywood for a Friday game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The two teams are moving in the opposite direction, with the Bucks winning a bunch of games and the Lakers mired in a losing skid.

Catch this game live on Friday, February 10, at 11 AM, Manila time

Away: Milwaukee Bucks (37-17/14-12 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Jrue Holiday
  • SG: Grayson Allen
  • SF: Khris Middleton
  • PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (probable)
  • C: Brook Lopez

The Bucks will put their eight-game win streak on the line this Thursday in La La Land. They are coming off a 127-108 blasting of the Portland Trail Blazers on the road last Tuesday, giving them Milwaukee two days of full rest. Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently listed as questionable, but he is still expected to see action versus the Lakers. 

In the first meeting with Los Angeles last December, Antetokounmpo dropped a 40-nugget on 16/23 shooting and added seven rebounds and five assists, albeit in a 122-129 home loss. The Bucks’ defense has tightened up of late, though, so the Lakers can expect a better effort on that end of the floor from Milwaukee, which has allowed just 109.2 points per 100 possessions in their last 10 games – fifth best in the NBA in that stretch.

The Bucks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 outings against a team with a losing record.

Home: Los Angeles Lakers (25-30/13-13 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • PG: Dennis Schröder
  • SG: Patrick Beverley
  • SF: Lonnie Walker IV
  • PF: LeBron James (questionable)
  • C: Anthony Davis (probable)

With LeBron James finally getting the all-time scoring record in the NBA, the Lakers have one major distraction out of the way. The challenge for them at the moment is to quickly make their retooled roster work. The Lakers just pulled off a massive trade that saw them let go of Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones and welcome D’Angelo Russell,  Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakeshow. It’s uncertain whether all the new faces will suit up in the Bucks game, and even if they do, they might not see heavy minutes right away.  The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games following a loss.

LeBron James is questionable while Anthony Davis is probable, but expect them to play given the pressure on the Lakers to start winning again after back-to-back losses to the New Orleans Pelicans (131-126) and to the Oklahoma City Thunder (133-130). In the win over Milwaukee, Davis scored 44 points and grabbed 11 boards, while James had 28 points and 11 assists. The Lakers’ offense has been on fire of late, despite the losses, as they’ve averaged 128.0 points on 52.5 FG% plus a 40.6 3FG% in the last two outings. If only they can make their defense work…

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Lakers (+5.5) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total (239.0) hits the Under.