After splitting their two-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home on Friday night to host the Milwaukee Bucks.
While LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo were originally listed as questionable with injuries, they both were able to suit up, setting up for their first matchup since Dec. 2, 2022.
It was a fun back-and-forth game, but ultimately the Bucks came out on top with a 105-101 victory to hand the Lakers their first clutch time loss of the season.
Luka Doncic got the Lakers off to a hot start with back-to-back triples. He then found both Deandre Ayton and James for alley-oops to take a 12-7 lead.
After a Bucks timeout though, the Lakers got careless with the ball and Milwaukee ripped off six straight points to take the lead. James took over as a facilitator from there though, leading a strong close to the first quarter to take a 25-24 lead.
The Lakers are not a good 3-point shooting team, but they got off to a nice start in this one as Gabe Vincent, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart all hit triples to begin the second. The Bucks were matching them though and Antetokounmpo then got going in transition with the Bucks establishing their first double-digit lead.
James was the only one that could get anything going for L.A. offensively in the second quarter. On the other end, the Lakers had trouble stopping the penetration of Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. and the Bucks led 61-52 at the half.
The Lakers ripped off six straight points to begin the third, forcing a quick Bucks timeout.
Milwaukee had a nice response out of the timeout as Antetokounmpo continued to score with ease. After staying quiet for most of the night, Doncic started to get going offensively with a triple and three-point play.
Once the Bucks heated up from 3 again, the Lakers’ momentum evaporated and they faced an 86-77 deficit going into the fourth quarter.
Similar to the third quarter, the Lakers began the fourth on a quick run to force another Bucks timeout after five straight points by James. This time though, L.A. kept the pressure on out of the timeout and regained the lead after back-to-back buckets by LeBron.
The game was close heading into the final stretch as the Lakers looked to remain undefeated in clutch time this season.
At that point, it became a full LeBron James takeover as he was doing everything for his his team on both ends of the floor. He needed some help though as his teammates were struggling to score and the game remained tied.
The Bucks had the ball in the final minute and Doncic committed an ill-advised foul on a Porter 3-pointer, causing the Lakers star to foul out.
Porter made two free throws, but the Lakers then turned it over on the final possession to suffer the loss.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers have a couple of days off before a back-to-back, starting with the Sacramento Kings on the road on Monday and then the Atlanta Hawks back at home on Tuesday.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
