Ovie Soko 'super-excited' to watch Los Angeles Lakers take on Milwaukee Bucks
Watch Los Angeles Lakers @ Milwaukee Bucks live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event in the early hours of Friday morning (1am)
Thursday 19 December 2019 10:46, UK
Ovie Soko is 'super-excited' as the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to take on Milwaukee Bucks in 'one of the games of the year'.
Live NBA: L.A. Lakers @ Milwaukee
'Super-excited for one of the games of the year'
I'm super-excited to see the Lakers take on the Bucks. On a scale of 1-10, this is an 11! This match-up is one of the biggest games of the year. It's the best in the East and the best in the West and there is so much talent on the floor.
Without even mentioning LeBron yet, you have two forwards in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis going head to head, two big men who are really changing the game for players at the four-spot in terms of how they move and what is expected of someone that size. These guys are 6ft 11in but they can bring the ball up and pretty much do everything. It will be a hell of a match-up.
This game will also be about bragging rights - and you only get a couple of those every season. It is a good gauge for both teams. There is a heavy possibility they'll see each other again in June.
The Bucks are obviously rolling. As a team, they have taken on Giannis' identity in terms of his relentlessness.
But the Lakers are a team that are pretty damned seasoned and they are rolling too. At the moment, it almost feels like everything is easy for them. They're swimming with the tide and the team is flowing like water. All the shooters are in their spots, AD is playing off LeBron, LeBron is playing off AD, Rajon Rondo is in the mix. It's 'Showtime' again in LA.
Some of the plays they made in their win against Atlanta were unreal - LeBron's between-the-legs assist, Davis' big blocks. They are 100 per cent having a good time.
I've got the Lakers beating the Bucks. I see it as the master meeting the student.
The game will mean a lot to Giannis. Knowing him, he will want to dominate the game. With his ambition to put his stamp on the game, he might put a bit too much pressure on himself to take out the best team in the West.
These Lakers players have been in the trenches and they know how to handle their business. Knowing how to win has almost been worked into their DNA to the point where it is automatic.
I don't think the game will tell us anything about what might happen with either team when we reach the playoffs. We know regular season basketball and postseason basketball are totally different - the press is different, the level of play is different and the intensity is different.
The Lakers are in cruise control right now. We haven't seen their full potential yet, and that is scary. At this point, it is about racking up wins, establishing the right way to do things and making sure everyone stays healthy. Once we see them in playoff mode, they'll be a whole other animal.
The Bucks are out to make statements in every game and they are really getting after it. They lost in the postseason last year when they saw themselves as favourites in the East. They have grown from last year and we'll see a different level from this Bucks team in this season's playoffs too.
Read more from Ovie Soko throughout the season as part of Sky's best-ever NBA offering, which includes 134 live games and a record 48 games in weekend primetime slots.
