The Los Angeles Lakers pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night -- but it won't be the star-studded affair that was originally promised.

While we all know that the Lakers are essentially out of playoff contention, this matchup had juice to it because two of the best players in the NBA -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James -- were supposed to be in it. However, both players have been ruled out for the night's game. Antetokounmpo will sit out due to a right ankle sprain while LeBron is out due to a sore groin.

The storyline will now purely be centered upon the Bucks and whether or not they can continue to hold off the Toronto Raptors for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Entering tonight's game, they're 2.5 games ahead of the Raptors.

Meanwhile, the Lakers continue to lose games, following their 124-123 loss to the lowly New York Knicks on Sunday. The Lakers are currently on a three-game losing streak and are playing for the draft lottery now.

Here's everything you need to know about tonight's game.

How to watch Lakers at Bucks

  • Date: Tuesday, March 19
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Fiserv Forum -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • TV: NBA TV
  • Streaming: fuboTV - (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
  • Live stats:  GameTracker
  • Odds: Bucks -11

Odds and Analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

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Storylines

Lakers:  The Lakers are 3-10 since the All-Star break and LeBron is pretty much just playing out the season at this point. With James out for this game, Los Angeles could insert Alex Caruso or Mike Muscala into the starting lineup. They've lost eight of their last nine games and blew an 11-point lead versus the Knicks with 3:45 remaining in the game.

Bucks: The Bucks haven't clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference since 1973-74, but it's looking like that drought will end this season. Not only will the Bucks have to try to win this game without Antetokounmpo, they'll have to do so without Malcolm Brogdon, who sustained a minor plantar fascia last week and will miss the next six-to-eight weeks.

Game prediction, pick

Is this even a question? The Lakers gave up on the season at the trade deadline when they didn't acquire Anthony Davis. LeBron isn't playing in this game and we could potentially see a starting lineup featuring Alex Caruso and Reggie Bullock. The Lakers are also in the midst of a road trip and playing in Milwaukee versus the best team in the NBA. I'm going with the Bucks, hands down.