The Los Angeles Lakers left everything on the floor to secure a statement win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday — in head coach Darvin Ham’s first return to Milwaukee after taking over in L.A.
The Lakers maintained the lead for the majority of the clash on a particularly efficient night. The Purple and Gold shot 53.6% from the field and 42.3% from downtown while turning the ball over just four times — their first game with less than five turnovers since March 2019 and just 12th since 1983-84.
Anthony Davis put up another monster performance, ending the night with 44 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. After the clash, Ham praised the Lakers’ effort and engagement in the win over the Bucks, expressing hope they will keep this level of play in the games to come, via Spectrum SportsNet:
Just the focus, man. Attention to detail. Those guys chirping in the huddle, communicating with one another. Defensive coverages, offensive sets we wanted to run. Just everybody being engaged. And again, this just can’t be a one-game thing. You know, I mean, it’s easy to get up for a team like the Bucks. It’s easy to get up for the Celtics, it’s easy to get up for Golden State. This is something we have to do every time we step on the floor. And again, it’s not about who we’re playing. It’s, ‘How do we want to represent ourselves as the Los Angeles Lakers?’ And I think tonight, it will go a long way, helping us remain consistent at bringing this level of competitiveness to each and every game — not just a particular opponent but the way we want to represent ourselves and have our identity revealed, too.
The Lakers are now 7-2 over the last nine clashes, moving up to 3.5 games behind the no. 4 seed in the Western Conference. And they will have a chance to show Ham they can perform at the highest level on a day-to-day basis during the current six-game road trip.
The Purple and Gold will face teams from both the top and bottom of the Eastern Conference standings before returning to L.A. The upcoming matchups include games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Davis wants Lakers to end road trip with at least 4-2 record
Davis has been the main architect of the Lakers’ recent run over, averaging 32.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.9 blocks over the last three weeks. The eight-time All-Star hopes L.A. can continue the fine form and rack up more wins than losses during the current road trip.
“Above .500,” he says. “What do we have, six [games]? I say above .500. I’d say all of the games are winnable. Nothing is given out in the NBA, anything can happen.
“You want to win all of the games obviously but I think if we come out above .500, we can consider that a successful trip.
Davis added the Lakers currently feel like they can beat any team in the NBA.