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Lakers lose, but Byron Scott isn’t at a loss for words about Bucks’ Jason Kidd

Carlos Boozer is fouled as he drives past Bucks center John Henson during the first half of the Lakers' 113-105 overtime loss Wednesday in Milwaukee.
(Morry Gash / Associated Press)
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If another Lakers loss didn’t excite you Wednesday, there was always Byron Scott versus Jason Kidd.

The Lakers coach couldn’t quite hide his dislike for the Milwaukee Bucks coach before the game, a rift that went back more than a decade.

Kidd, the star point guard of the New Jersey Nets at the time, reportedly tried to lead a player uprising to complain about Scott’s coaching, likely ending Scott’s tenure there, or at least hastening it in January 2004.

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It added some pepper to the Lakers’ 113-105 overtime loss to Milwaukee, where Kidd is in his first season as Bucks coach.

Scott said their relationship now was “cordial” but “that’s about as good as it’s going to get.”

“I respect him as a basketball player and now as a coach but other than that, we’re not going to be swapping spit and having dinner and playing golf and all that stuff together.”

Scott used a mild expletive to describe Kidd’s reputation as a player. Then he extolled the virtues of a former Lakers teammate.

“Magic was probably as big a star as you could get but also was probably the best teammate I ever had. He wanted everybody to be successful,” Scott said. “Him and [Pat Riley] had an unbelievable relationship. Magic let him coach, which I thought was fantastic.”

There isn’t much left for Scott to coach nowadays, with Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and Steve Nash all done for the season. Throw in Jordan Hill’s absence Wednesday (hip injury) and you can see right through this threadbare roster.

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Carlos Boozer had 28 points and Ed Davis had 20 rebounds, but the Lakers gave up another late lead, a six-point edge with under a minute left in regulation.

Brandon Knight made a three-point basket, Jeremy Lin air-balled a three-point shot at the other end, and O.J. Mayo made the tying three-pointer with half a second left.

There was some discussion whether the Lakers should have fouled immediately on the Bucks’ inbounds play with seven seconds left to send them to the line for two free throws.

“I just always believe in just playing good solid defense,” Scott said, though he added he might revisit his strategy of not fouling in future late-game situations.

The Lakers gave up 19 points in overtime to complete a familiar script: Lakers keep it relatively close, Lakers lose in the end.

“You can’t keep losing those type of games,” Scott said. “Hopefully, sooner or later, guys get a little teed off about it and, take it a little bit more, I wouldn’t say seriously, but take it to heart a little bit more.”

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Jordan Clarkson had a rough game, going scoreless with three assists and three turnovers. Lin missed 10 of 12 shots.

Knight had 25 points for the Bucks, winners of five consecutive games and recipients of a compliment from Scott.

Or, at least, Kidd received one from Scott.

“From where they were last year to this particular point, he’s done a terrific job with this team,” Scott said.

New Jersey had a solid run under Scott back in the day, advancing to two NBA Finals, but Kidd chafed under his tough leadership and Scott was fired less than a year after the Nets lost to San Antonio for the championship.

Kidd tried to downplay Scott’s thoughts on him, blaming the media.

“I saw him in the summer, said hi to him, wished him the best of luck. What are we supposed to do?” Kidd said. “You [media] guys must be bored. ... I wish I could give you guys something, but you guys are bored.”

Not really. Scott talked with very little prompting.

Scott laughed when asked about Kidd’s cup incident, where he intentionally spilled soda on the court against the Lakers last season to cause a timeout. The NBA fined him $50,000.

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“He should have been fined more,” Scott said. “It was just so obvious.”

Kidd eventually offered a compliment to Scott, though he also seemed to defend himself a bit.

“We had a great run in Jersey. He was a big part of that,” Kidd said. “He took a team that was at the bottom and all of a sudden we ended up in the Finals. Unfortunately, I was just a player. I didn’t have the rights of firing or hiring. That falls on management.”

Follow Mike Bresnahan on Twitter @Mike_Bresnahan

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