1. Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks, Dec. 19
The Milwaukee Bucks have won five straight games over the Los Angeles Lakers, with the two teams tipping off their two-game season series on Dec. 19 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Currently, the teams lead their respective conferences, with Milwaukee atop the East at 15-3 and Los Angeles pacing the West with a 16-2 mark.
That is the Bucks’ longest winning streak ever against the Lakers, who lead the all-time series by an 81-55 margin.
The teams met twice in March last season, with Milwaukee getting double-digit wins on March 1 in Los Angeles and at home on March 19.
In the March 19 matchup, Khris Middleton scored 30 points with 10 rebounds for the Bucks — playing without injured Giannis Antetokounmpo — while former Laker Brook Lopez added 28 points and Nikola Mirotic dropped in 23 before leaving with a fractured left thumb.
Los Angeles also was lacking its star, with LeBron James out with a sore left groin, and was led by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s 35-point explosion off the bench. The Lakers shot just 38.4 percent (33-for-86) on the night, while the Bucks were at 46.1 percent (41-of-89).