Of the 10 NBA games on Wednesday, nine of the home teams claimed victories, except the Houston Rockets who lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 109-116. The Los Angeles Lakers finally took had a consecutive set of wins without LeBron James after they beat the Detroit Pistons 113-100.
Milwaukee Bucks regain league's No.1 ranking
Malcolm Brogdon #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks penetrates to the hoop in the game against the Houston Rockets on January 9. /VCG Photo
Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped Milwaukee's highest 27 points, five assists and 21 rebounds, which was also a career high for him. Malcolm Brogdon made the second biggest contribution with 24 points, and a 75 percent field goal rate.
Like usual, James Harden scored Houston's high of 42 points, with a not-so-pretty efficiency of 13/30 field goal rate. Clint Capela also struggled on offense as he put down 18 points and 13 rebounds, but only made four of 16 shots.
Brook Lopez #11 of the Bucks defends the basket in the game on January 9. /VCG Photo
The Bucks were apparently better prepared for the game from the beginning especially on defense. They had 2.13-meter Brook Lopez remain in the paint while 2.11-meter Antetokounmpo kept moving with the 3-point line, denying Harden any chance to attack the rim or to help Capela score.
By contrast, the Rockets did a disappointing job on defense for most of the time as they watched Milwaukee's perimeter players drive towards the basket without being challenged. What made things worse was that Houston's only rim protector Capela had to leave the paint to cover Lopez outside the 3-point line. The difference in defense style was reflected in scoring in the restricted area where the Bucks led 70-24.
James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets surrounded by Bucks players in the game on January 9. /VCG Photo
The Rockets in the second quarter took advantage of the opponent's backup squad who were struggling on offense, while Harden kept sinking three-pointers and earning fouls outside the 3-point line to gain the lead. On defense, Houston had shorter players on the court, and chose to double team Antetokounmpo on the low block, to block his movement.
However, the Rockets in the third quarter began to get cold hands, giving the Bucks too many opportunities for transition offense which led to Milwaukee's lead in early offense scoring (19-2). Moreover, when Harden and Capela were sitting on the bench, Houston had neither a clear orchestrator on offense, nor effective protection of the rim. As a result, they let the Bucks get away with 38-23 in this quarter before taking their second consecutive win.
Kyle Kuzma has a career night with 41 points
Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball in the game against the Detroit Pistons on January 9. /VCG Photo
Kyle Kuzma dropped a career-high 41 points in three quarters and became the fifth player to do that after Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and James Harden. As another major contributor to the Lakers' win on Wednesday, Lonzo Ball delivered the court's highest 11 assists including multiple court-wide long pass on transition offense.
Detroit could not even pick their best player for the game. Blake Griffin scored the team's best 16 points but grabbed not even one rebound. Andre Drummond continued his dominance on rebounding (17) but only scored six points after missing 10 of his 12 shots. Furthermore, Drummond alone could not make up for their deficit in rebounds (34-47).
Brandon Ingram #14 of the Lakers drives to the basket in the game against the Pistons on January 9. /VCG Photo
The fact that the Lakers and the Pistons were two of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league meant this game was all about fighting in the paint. The purple and gold from the beginning aimed for the basket and scored 18 of their 20 points in the first quarter. Though they trailed 20-24 after the first quarter, partly thanks to the seven missed three-pointers, the team's bench players led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Beasley launched a 18-5 run to help the Lakers gain the lead and never fell behind after that.
By contrast, the Pistons did not seem to understand that they were playing an NBA game. They lacked a qualified leader who could tell his teammates what to do. When one handled the ball, the other four would just stand there without moving, not to mention cut in. On defense, Detroit's perimeter defense did not cause any trouble for the Lakers who could easily enter the paint and challenge Drummond.
Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons shoots in the game against the Lakers on January 9. /VCG Photo
The loss on Wednesday was not only the team's third straight loss, but also the 15th loss in their past 21 games. The Pistons were 24th in scoring, 29th in blocking, 25th in stealing and 25th in assisting of all 30 teams in the league.
Other games on Wednesday included: (away teams come first)
Indiana Pacers 108-135 Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers 106-123 Washington Wizards
Atlanta Hawks 100-116 Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs 86-96 Memphis Grizzlies
Cleveland Cavaliers 124-140 New Orleans Pelicans
Phoenix Suns 94-104 Dallas Mavericks
Orlando Magic 93-106 Utah Jazz
Chicago Bulls 112-124 Portland Trail Blazers