In a shockingly humiliating game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, the Lakers fell from glory with a 98-79 loss at home. In their second game without Jennings, the Bucks’ Earl Boykins scored 22 points, John Salmons added 20, and Ersan Ilyasova 17, improving their team to 11-16. After the game, Milwaukee head coach Scott Skiles said “Each time we appeared to be teetering a little bit, we were able to make a series of big plays to extend the lead. If you’re going to come into this type of place and beat this type of team, you’re going to need those types of plays. We wouldn’t have won the game without Earl tonight.”
The Dallas Stars claimed sole possession of first place in the Western Conference as a result of their 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Stars quickly gained a 3-0 lead with goals by Adam Burish and Jamie Benn in the first period, and one from Karlis Skrastins early in the second. Montreal’s Mathieu Darche had a goal shortly after, midway through the second period, but Richards restored the three-point lead at 17 minutes. Another goal was scored for Montreal by Brian Gionta, but Loui Eriksson sealed the deal for Dallas with his goal one minute later.
