Lakers' Scott may change late fouling strategy after Wednesday's loss

Byron Scott is old school. 

For the purposes of ensuring the Los Angeles Lakers retain their draft pick this June, that's a positive.

The Lakers only keep their pick if it lands in the top five, so the fewer games they win, the better. That wasn't the goal entering the season, but it is now. Therefore, Scott's aversion to 3-pointers and his propensity for clock mismanagement can be viewed as a boon to the organization.

The Lakers dropped a 113-105 overtime game to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, a game that could've been a regulation win if not for Scott's old-school mentality. Leading by three with seven seconds to play, the Lakers opted not to foul, instead choosing to defend for the length of the clock.

Logic would dictate fouling the ball-handler in this case, though not all coaches subscribe to doing so. The cause for fouling is simple: The Bucks could score a maximum of two points if sent to the line, meaning they would need to once again foul the Lakers and try to extend the game to tie. 

The case against fouling is equally simple, but less rooted in strategy: coaches want to trust their teams to get stops - even if said team ranks 29th in defense.

O.J. Mayo ultimately hit a 3-pointer to tie the game and force overtime and, from that point, the Bucks cruised. Next time around, Scott may do things differently.

"The philosophy is not to foul," Scott said after the game. "I might change that."

It's never too late to change. But with the team just a few games up on the league's other dregs, the Lakers may want their old-dog coach to take a little longer to learn this new trick.