DiVincenzo provides spark
LOS ANGELES – Khris Middleton couldn't get shots to fall. Eric Bledsoe was in foul trouble. Brook Lopez had gotten off to a hot start but hadn't maintained his shot volume and at times was relegated to the bench when the Milwaukee Bucks went small. George Hill wasn't on the court at all, sidelined by a groin contusion.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was doing everything he could to keep the Bucks in the game Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, but he needed someone else to join him in scoring. The Bucks ultimately fell short, 113-103, but someone did step up in the second half. That someone was second-year guard Donte DiVincenzo.
DiVincenzo put up 15 of his 17 points after halftime, including coming off the bench and going 5 of 6 from the floor for team-high 12 points in an otherwise dismal third quarter, one that included an 18-0 Lakers run that shifted the gave for good.
“Just being aggressive," DiVincenzo said. "Make or miss my shots, I think we were a little tentative to start the second half. My job is just to come in and be aggressive defensively and offensively and good things happen.”
DiVincenzo subbed in just after the Lakers completed their 18-0 run and quickly went to work. He cut and drove hard for a couple of layups then later in the quarter knocked down a pair of three-pointers within a minute of each other to keep the deficit from getting out of control. He ended the period with a layup to get the Bucks within 11.
In the fourth quarter, a confident 27-footer from DiVincenzo gave the Bucks their first glimmer of hope, bring the margin down to five.
That was his last bucket of the game, but he had still done more than enough to impress his teammates, performing well on a big stage with active defense, four assists, three rebounds and a block of a LeBron James layup in addition to his 17 points.
“His energy is always so key in multiple ways both offensively and defensively," Lopez said. "It's clutch, it's so important to what we do and it's great because he doesn't care whoever he's making a play against if it's some guy on a 10-day contract or LeBron or A.D. (Anthony Davis) or whoever it is, he's going to go out there and do the same thing.”
Coming off commendable performances against the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers, DiVincenzo has seemed to hit his stride. His threegame scoring total (47 points) is the best of his young career and he's done it on 55.2% shooting. More important than his scoring, though, is he consistently has demonstrated a knack for grabbing rebounds, making steals and making winning plays.
Back in action
Bucks veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver returned to the court Friday night, logging 121⁄2 minutes and contributing three points on 1 of 3 shooting in the loss. He had missed Milwaukee's past nine games due to lingering back soreness that had kept him out since Feb. 10, much longer than even he expected.
“It's good, it's fine," Korver said of his back. "Not sure exactly what happened or what was wrong and why it took so long to get right, but I feel good now so it's just about getting back in rhythm and getting back in shape a little bit.”
Empty stands possible
The NBA circulated a memo to its teams on Friday telling them to prepare for the possibility of playing games without fans due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In that situation, they would also have to identify essential personnel who would need to be in attendance for such games.
On Saturday, reports emerged that the league is also considering limiting locker-room access only to players and team personnel in order to further attempt to stifle any potential spread of the disease.
The league is already encouraging players not to sign autographs or to at least use their own pen in order to limit contact with fans.