Blend into shape! 77+League of Kings+Ayton form a pick-and-roll trident. The hardness of inside offense and defense helps the Lakers take off.

The Lakers beat the Bucks 119-95. LeBron James, Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Smart were absent. Bronny entered the starting lineup. Kleber, a three-point shooter who averaged 2.3 points per game, took over the rotation for 25 minutes. The remaining lineup still defeated the Eastern Conference powerhouse Bucks in back-to-back battles.

The game was full of twists and turns. The Lakers led by up to 31 points in the first half. The Bucks narrowed the point difference to 14 points in the third quarter and narrowed the point difference to 13 points again in the fourth quarter. At every critical moment, Doncic and Reeves can respond strongly by holding the ball and making three-pointers. They have dual cores, stay calm in times of crisis, and refuse to reverse.

The Lakers played a three-dimensional pick-and-roll offensive logic, and the Bucks' lack of perimeter defensive resources were taken advantage of by Doncic and Reeves.

There is no other way for the old Li to send Kuzma to lead the defense against Doncic. After all, Green and Harris are 193 centimeters apart from outside, Rollins is 191 centimeters away, Trent is 196 centimeters away, and Anthony is 188 centimeters away - no one on the back line can match up with Doncic. Either Kuzma, who is 203 centimeters tall, or Antetokounmpo is used to defend Doncic.

The Bucks suffered from backcourt matchups, and were even more troublesome to defend against pick-and-rolls. Double-teaming Doncic and Reaves paid a heavy price: Ayton scored 20 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-13 shots, and Hayes scored 10 points and 6 rebounds on 3-of-4 shots.

Kuzma's defense against Doncic was a waste, Rollins was also trained against Reeves, and the Lakers' dual-core backcourt scored 66 points, 14 assists and 10 three-pointers. The Bucks' single defense, double attack, and zone defense were all dismantled by the Lakers. The lack of outside defensive resources left them helpless with the Lakers' offensive system.

Ayton can give Giannis Antetokounmpo crazy intensity, and his defensive strength in the low post is completely matched. The key factor in the Bucks' collapse in the first half was that Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't beat Ayton and could only score through free throws.

It is no exaggeration to say that Doncic + Reeves + Ayton dominate the Bucks, and the Lakers already have a well-established pick-and-roll trident.

Hachimura and Smart were absent due to injuries, and Brownie entered the starting lineup, but the effect was not ideal.

Bronny only played 4 minutes in the first start before being replaced. The Bucks used Antetokounmpo to match Bronny and Turner to match Ayton. One of the main reasons is that Bronny has only averaged 25.0% three-point shooting per game since the beginning of the season. Antetokounmpo can let Bronny go to help defend and sweep.

Smart and Rui Hachimura are injured. Brownie's starting role is more because Redick wants to inspire young people. The young man has been active defensively since the beginning of the season. The Lakers rewarding him for starting the game is a little Easter egg in this game.

Redick quickly replaced Brownie with Knecht 4 minutes into the game. The reason is simple. Knecht has a stable three-point threat and can open up space. The Lakers need the three-point ability from three outside points to create offensive space so that Doncic + Ayton can play comfortably in the pick-and-roll.

The Bucks' size disadvantage on the outside in the matchup was directly targeted by the Lakers: Reeves, who was 196 centimeters tall, bullied Rollins and was eaten raw in the matchup; Kuzma's defense against Doncic was not very effective. Kuzma is not good at defense. Doncic teased Kuzma from outside the three-point line and hit two step-back three-pointers.

The Bucks have no leading defensive resources on the outside. Reeves and Doncic took turns to attack alone and gained the initiative to make a hard solution at the beginning. The Lakers' perimeter defense is average, but now they encounter the Bucks' soft persimmons on the perimeter, and they are accurate. And the Bucks narrowly defeated the Hornets in overtime yesterday, and the team was completely out of shape in back-to-back games.

The Lakers tailored their defensive strategy in response to the Bucks' one-star, four-shooter play, and successfully limited the Bucks' overall offense in the first half.

The Lakers sent Ayton to guard Antetokounmpo as the first line of defense, tacitly allowing Antetokounmpo to play Ayton alone, and fouling if he couldn't stop him. They tried their best to test Antetokounmpo's free throws and not let him get an easy layup; when the outside line + Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll, the Lakers adopted a defense switching strategy from positions 1-5. Ayton first jumped outside the three-point line to supplement the shooter, and then Doncic/Laravia assisted the second defense switch nearby.

That is, the Lakers always use Ayton, Doncic, and Laravia to fight with Antetokounmpo.

The Lakers set up anti-letter armor. Ayton's single defense + forward switching defense + misplaced double-team strategy forced Antetokounmpo to score only 3 points on 1-for-2 in the first quarter, but made 2 turnovers. The Bucks' shooters were also completely out of shape in the first half. The team only made 4 of 21 three-pointers.

The Lakers' offense went smoothly, and the pick-and-roll pairing of Doncic/Reeves+Ayton/Hayes had no solution. The Bucks did not dare to retreat. After all, Doncic and Reeves' ability to make sudden shots with the help of single screens was well known. Rollins/Kuzma had a hard time defending Reeves/Doncic alone. The Bucks were forced to use pick-and-roll double teams after Doncic and Reeves were fully fired.

Doncic/Reeves attracted a double attack→Ayton/Hayes handled the ball down the line→Kleiber/Knecht hit a three-pointer. Once Turner/Antetokounmpo left the penalty area, Ayton and Hayes scored a total of 24 points on 9 of 12 in the half, defeating the off-line rotation after the Bucks double-teamed Doncic/Reeves.

The Lakers dual-handled the ball to create a pick-and-roll threat. They established a 31-point lead early and stunned the Bucks in back-to-back battles in the first half.

The Bucks fell behind by a big score but did not give up. Both teams believed in each other's offensive systems controlled by superstars, and the second half launched a real peak showdown.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way and fought bravely. Ayton, the bridgehead of the Lakers' single defense against Giannis Antetokounmpo, was killed by Giannis Antetokounmpo four times in less than three quarters. Giannis Antetokounmpo strangled the Lakers' penalty area frantically, attracted a group of shooters and found open three-pointers to shoot - Green scored 4 three-pointers in a single quarter, and Antetokounmpo led the group of shooters to score 38 points in a single quarter.

The Bucks also attacked Doncic's post-up play and pick-and-roll. The Lakers role players once made 0 of 7 three-pointers, and the Bucks narrowed the point difference to 13 points.. At the critical moment, Doncic and Reaves continued to unreasonably hit three-pointers to support the situation, completely extinguishing the Bucks' hopes of counterattack.

The Bucks' defensive efficiency ranks 20th in the league so far this season. They are generally shooter-type puzzles with strong shooting ability but poor defense on the outside. They rely heavily on Turner and Antetokounmpo to help wipe their behinds. The Bucks were directly beaten by Doncic and Reaves on the outside in this campaign. The Lakers' high pick-and-roll made Antetokounmpo and Turner unable to use it. The Bucks are now a strong offensive and defensive team (9th in offensive efficiency and 20th in defensive efficiency). The defense really limits their upper limit.

The Lakers rank 17th in offensive efficiency and 18th in defensive efficiency, but they still rank 4th in the Western Conference with 9 wins and 4 losses. The most important thing is that they have two pick-and-roll ball-handling cores in Doncic and Reeves with interior finishing points + a group of shooters that can raise the team's upper limit - once the two ball-handling cores are comfortable, the Lakers' offense will naturally blossom.

Ayton's state determines the hardness of the Lakers' inside offense and defense. A tough Ayton + Doncic + Reeves pick-and-roll system is enough to cause headaches for most opponents. There is obviously a reason why the Lakers are ranked among the top four in the Western Conference!