On January 22, Beijing time, in the game against the Bucks, Pope staged a big explosion. Facing the Bucks' defense, he scored 23 points and 3 rebounds, and hit 7 of 10 from the field. Three-pointer shot, only 27 minutes to get this data. Pope went crazy in this game. Not only did he stage a 2.3-second ultra-long half-time buzzer three-pointer, but the whole game was a three-pointer streak. His personal touch was so hot that he stunned the Bucks. James made 6 of 10 three-pointers and was not the Lakers' three-pointer.
Pope continued to start his hand. He missed a three-pointer at the start and made a mistake in stepping on the line. But Pope quickly adjusted, the corner flew to the defense, and the three-pointer made a steady hit. When the scores of the two teams were tight, Pope also scored free throws, and Pope performed well on the defensive end, both offensive and defensive performance. On the contrary, Schroeder scored 0 points in a single quarter, and his defense was broken. In contrast, Pope is much better. Pope scored 5 points in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, he staged a big explosion.
The Lakers fell behind in the first quarter and struggled to chase points at the start of the second quarter. Unfortunately, they were still behind. Pope came back in the last 6 minutes. The Lakers slowly overtook the score. At a critical moment, Pope received a three-point pass. This time he still confidently made a shot to help the Lakers maintain the lead. In the last 2.3 seconds, Pope received a pass at halftime and hit a three-pointer with a horseback archery buzzer, and scored a magical ball. Pope is really confident, hitting that long distance, and the Lakers also led by 6 points, Pope 11 points at halftime, very efficient.
Pope is really stable. The Bucks' defensive focus is on Zhan Mei. He scored a few three points to help Zhan Mei share the pressure. In the third quarter, Pope started with a three-pointer from the corner, and this time he still did. The rest of the Lakers also scored consecutively, constantly expanding the difference. However, the Bucks are a strong team after all, and quickly settled to only 3 points. The key moment is still to see Pope. He took an open three-pointer. This time he continued. Then the Lakers counterattacked. Pope had three-pointers and two consecutive three-pointers, giving the Bucks a set of cold water. Pope scored 9 points in a single quarter, these three three-pointers are too critical.
The Lakers also played well in the fourth quarter. Under the leadership of James, they once again led by double digits.But the Bucks were still tough. After Antetokounmpo came up, he first made a throw and then scored 2+1. Middleton also scored a layup and only got 2 points. When the Lakers were in danger, Pope continued to stand up at the critical moment, received a pass from the corner three-pointer, hesitated and shot, and continued to make a shot. And then Caruso also hit a three-pointer, James also had a three-pointer, and finally the Lakers relied on a wave of scoring to kill the game.
The third giant of the Lakers is already in the formation. Pope is really the more critical the game, the more stable he will be. This time facing the Bucks, he went crazy and hit three-pointers in a row, breaking out with James. The Lakers and Pope completed a three-year $39 million renewal contract, which now seems really worth it. Compared to Kuzma and Schroeder, Pope is more worthy of the Lakers' third giant, and the performance on both ends of the offense and defense is eye-catching.
.
