Bucks face Lakers in first game without Parker

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Bucks' worst fears were realized Thursday morning when an MRI exam confirmed a torn ACL in Jabari Parker's left knee, sidelining the young forward for at least the remainder of the season and leaving the Bucks without a key component when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers Friday night at the Bradley Center.

It's the second time Parker has torn his left ACL; he suffered the same injury just 25 games into his rookie season and ultimately missed 60 games before returning early last season.

"For a young team, it becomes hard because you lose a family member," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "All the battles, knowing he's not coming back. For our young guys, they have to go through the process, that experience. But you have to move forward. It's the NBA, there are no holidays. It's a job. You have to keep pushing forward to find a way to win. That's the way we have to approach it."

Appearing in all of Milwaukee's first 51 games, Parker was second on the team in scoring, averaging 20.1 points on 49 percent shooting.

With Parker out, Kidd plans to mix and match his remaining pieces to fill the hole left at power forward, with rookie Thon Maker in line to see extended minutes as the season goes on.

"We have quite a few guys who can start or come off the bench," Kidd said. "It's going to take a group effort. We're going to take it game-by-game. There will probably different guys starting the rest of the season."

The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Bucks, who have dropped 11 of their last 13 games but were looking to get a boost when shooting guard Khris Middleton made his season debut Wednesday night after missing the first 50 games while recovering from a torn hamstring suffered on the eve of training camp.

"We've gone through this before -- not just with Jabari -- it's a next-guy-up mentality," Kidd said. "We have to rally one another. It has to be a team effort to get out of this funk."

Along with Parker's injury, the Bucks are looking to bounce back from a 106-88 loss to Miami Wednesday night. But while they came out flat against the league's hottest team in that contest, the Lakers -- next-to-last in the West -- provide an opportunity to turn things around.

Los Angeles has not fared much better than Milwaukee over the last month, dropping 11 of its last 14 contests, including a 121-102 decision Wednesday night in Detroit.

D'Angelo Russell needs a bounce-back game after attempting just two shots in that contest. He wasn't alone in his shooting woes; the Lakers guards combined to go 11 for 31 from the floor.

Head coach Luke Walton experimented with a new lineup against the Pistons, putting Tarik Black at center along with Russell, Nick Young, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram.

The 6-foot-9 Black struggled at times against Detroit's Andre Drummond but knocked down four shots for eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 19 minutes.

"He really does a good job of sniffing out when he needs to be up and aggressive on a point guard, and when is the appropriate time to get back to the big, which is just as important as his athleticism is," Walton told the Los Angeles Times.

On the injury front, Jordan Clarkson sprained his right thumb Wednesday night against the Pistons but was able to go through a full practice session Thursday with the thumb taped up.

The Lakers have lost seven of their last 10 games against the Bucks as well as seven of the last 10 meetings in Milwaukee.