MILWAUKEE _ The comparison between Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd and Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball is one that has been made for years.
Ball is a highly-skilled passer, an active rebounder, makes his teammates better and features a solid overall game, all traits Kidd exhibited during his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Kidd has lauded Ball's passing ability, but earlier this week during a television appearance said the comparison currently "is a stretch."
On Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Ball gave Kidd an up-close look at what he can do, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds. Ball's triple-double eclipsed LeBron James, who held the previous record with a triple-double at 20 years, 20 days old on Jan. 19, 2005.
While Ball made history, the Bucks won the game. Playing the second leg of a back-to-back that began in San Antonio on Friday, the Bucks shook off some early sluggishness to bring their record back to .500 with a 98-90 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 18,717 in their first home game since Oct. 31.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks, scoring 33 points and pulling down 15 rebounds in 40 minutes. Seventeen of Antetokounmpo's points came in the second half, including four that ignited a 6-0 run to close the third quarter. Antetokounmpo opened that spurt by throwing down a dunk off a Matthew Dellavedova assist then sank a midrange jumper.
In the waning moments of the third period, second-year guard Malcolm Brogdon put the exclamation point on the run. Antetokounmpo found him on a cut and Brogdon handled the rest, never breaking stride on the way to throwing down a right-handed slam over Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma that put Milwaukee ahead, 77-67, at the end of the quarter _ their largest lead of the game.
From there the Bucks held the Lakers at arm's length, never letting them closer than seven points. Brogdon had 16 points off the bench and Khris Middleton scored 13 despite going just 3 of 13 from the floor. Dellavedova made solid contributions in his 15 minutes of action, finishing plus-20 during that time and recording 10 points.
Newly-added point guard Eric Bledsoe, playing in his first home game as a member of the Bucks, struggled to find his shot in his second game with Milwaukee. He had 11 points and two assists while committing four turnovers and going 4 of 13 from the field, including missing all six of his 3-point attempts.
