Bucks fans haven't had much to smile about lately.
Clinging not long ago to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Milwaukee lost, 104-98, to the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at the Bradley Center. The Bucks (32-44) are now four games behind Chicago for the final postseason slot.
Despite the loss, there was a bright side.
Ramon Sessions continued to make a strong case for a new contract after the season with his first-ever triple-double. The guard scored 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and 16 assists.
Afterward, he wondered aloud how other players, notably Jason Kidd, can put up numbers like that on a regular basis. Though happy with the accomplishment, Sessions would have preferred a victory.
"I wish we could have gotten a win, but the Lakers are a great team," Sessions said. "We came out and fought hard."
The Bucks led, 57-55, at halftime but the Lakers -- one of the better teams in the Western Conference -- took control down the stretch.
"They turned up their level of play a little bit," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "We didn't come out poorly or anything like that, we just weren't quite as sharp."
Some other nuggets from the Bradley Center:
• Michael Redd was recognized before the game by USA Basketball for his participation on the gold-medal winning squad at last summer's Beijing Olympics. He was presented with a large ring before the game.
• Redd's Olympic teammate, Kobe Bryant, led the Lakers with 30 points and was serenaded with "M-V-P" chants by a decidedly pro-Lakers crowd. Bryant hit his first seven shots en route to a 10-for-19 performance.
After the game, Bryant offered support for Redd, who's out for the season with a knee injury.
"He is like a brother to me," Bryant said. "He's really cool and I'm just going to be there for him and make sure he gets back to 100 percent for next season."
That's sweet, isn't it?
• Speaking of the crowd, the announced attendance was 18,717, marking the first sellout of the season. Never mind the number of fans wearing Lakers garb, or the ones that came dressed as empty blue seats ... getting your first sellout 37 games into a 41-game home slate is rough.
• American Idol reject Jamar Rogers sang the National Anthem before the game. A tip to anthem-hopefuls -- just sing the song; it's been around 200 years and doesn't need any fancy styling.
• Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Greg Jennings sat courtside. The Bucks incorporated them into an April Fool's gag that involved an usher checking their tickets and suggesting they were in the wrong seats.
Jump shots: Milwaukee's Francisco Elson left the game with a strained right hip flexor. ... The Bucks completed their 22nd and final pair of back-to-back games. ... The Bucks led 31-22 after the first quarter, finishing on a 12-2 run. ... The Lakers are 28-11 away from the Staples Center this season.
