On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers rolled into Staples Center with a daunting task: to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo, who — if the season ended today — would likely be named league MVP, and the Milwaukee Bucks, who hold the best record in the NBA.
It’s something that just 14 other teams in the NBA have been able to do this season and most of those teams were legitimate title contenders. The Lakers, on the other hand, are on the outside looking in of the playoff picture and lost to a pair of bottom-10 teams earlier this week.