James, Lakers open long trip by beating Bucks 113-106
Sotto suspense
MILWAUKEE ( AP) — LeBron James says the results of last season’s NBA awards voting didn’t provide extra motivation as his Los Angeles Lakers prepared to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
He had more important things on his mind.
James scored a season-high 34 points in the opener of a seven-game road trip, helping the Lakers beat the Bucks 113-106 on Thursday. He finished second to Antetokounmpo in last year’s MVP balloting.
“It’s never been about individual (honors),” said James, a four-time
MVP. “It’s all about the team success. That’s all that matters . ... I just want to play well and help our team versus any opponent. That’s what it’s all about.”
Los Angeles (12-4) bounced back after blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of a 115-113 loss to Golden State on Monday night. The Bucks (9-6) dropped their second st r ai ght .
This game pitted the reigning NBA champion Lakers against a Bucks team that posted the league’s best regular-season record each of the last two years.
It was the first time the Lakers had faced the Bucks since the 2019-20 awards voting, which also had Antetokounmpo finishing just ahead of Los Angeles’ Anthony Davis in the voting for defensive player of the year.
“That was last season, obviously,” said Davis, who had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists. “No one brought that up or talked about it. Our motivation was not losing two in a row tonight. We were able to get that accomplished.”
The Lakers shot 19 of 37 from 3-point range, with James going 6 of 10 and Kentavious CaldwellPope making 7 of 10. Caldwell-Pope had 23 points.
Antetokounmpo had 25 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, but he also committed nine turnovers. Jrue Holiday scored 22 points for the Bucks, and Khris Middleton finished with 20.
“We’ve got to keep working, keep playing good basketball for longer periods of time, make shots, defend better, rebound the ball better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Ultimately we’ve got to get better.”
The Lakers were ahead 63-57 after a first half that featured seven ties and nine lead changes. The Lakers outscored Milwaukee 208 over the last 5½ minutes of the second quarter, including CaldwellPope’s 35-footer at the buzzer.
“There were stretches where we were really good on both ends of the court,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We had a bad stretch, I felt like the last four or five minutes of the second quarter, on both ends of the court we were not good. We were not sharp like you need to be for 48 minutes.”
Los Angeles stayed ahead throughout the second half.
After trailing 98-87 with less than 7½ minutes left, the Bucks cut the deficit to 102-100 when Middleton drove the baseline and scored with 3:05 remaining. Caldwell-Pope answered by sinking a corner 3pointer with 2:42 left.
The Lakers’lead didn’t drop below four points the rest of the way. ---AP
WHEN he is here, he is here. That should be the correct approach in the Kai Sotto case.
Stuck in America while being a member of the Ignite in the NBA’s developmental G League, Sotto is the 18-year -ol d Filipino with the strongest stake yet to make it to the world’s No. 1 basketball league before he turns 21.
No surprise if that will happen as the kid is 7-foot-2, a ceiling that is more than perfect for NBA play.
Some news items say Sotto has gained an inch or two. That is no surprise, too, given the fact that he’s been in the US for quite some time now. America being the land of the so-called milk and honey, Sotto’s nutritious diet there can easily produce growth wonders.
But why is he hogging the local headlines these days?
Sotto is supposed to arrive this week from the US to join Gilas, which is presently training in the “Calambubble” in Laguna for the Fiba Asia Cup third window next month.
Gilas needs to win just one of three games against South Korea and Indonesia in Clark, Pampanga, to make it to the Fiba Asia Cup proper in August in Jakarta.
Two matches pit Gilas against the Koreans on Feb. 18 and Feb. 22, with both matches giving the Koreans a bit of an edge due to their naturalized player in Ricardo Ratliffe, the former Purefoods import in the PBA.
But even without an American reinforcement, Gilas is heavily favored to defeat Indonesia on Feb. 20 and return to the Fiba Asia championships.
And I’m sure Sotto can more than provide the added punch at the middle— his height being might in this game built for giants.
“I’m heading home soon,” said Sotto on his Thursday’s Instagram. “I’m excited that I have been given an opportunity to play for Gilas for the coming February window.”
Even the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) said it expected Sotto to arrive this week.
Said Jong Uichico, the Gilas coach: “We’re excited to see how much he has already improved and what he can bring to the syst em .”
If at all, Sotto being able to play here next month will essentially give us a whiff of what the future holds for Philippine bask et bal l .
His presence will almost overshadow our hunt for that single win— almost a sure hit— to shove us to the main round.