The Bucks improved to 2-1 on their West Coast road trip, taking down the Lakers in LaLa Land 105-101. Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points to lead the Bucks, while Giannis had 21 points, six rebounds, five assists,
two steals, and two blocks. Luka Doncic (24) and LeBron James (26) combined for 50 points for LA, but the rest of the Lakers as a whole had just 51.
Game Recap
Doncic, who scored 41 points and had six assists in their first meeting back in November, torched the Bucks in the opening minutes. Luka scored and assisted on the first 12 points for the Lakers. Milwaukee did keep it close, but a lob from Doncic to LeBron forced Doc Rivers to call an early timeout. The Bucks were able to turn it around on LA, going on a 13-3 run to take a five-point lead with 4:23 to go in the quarter. AJ Green seemed to find his form after some recent struggles, starting the game 3/3. The Bucks cooled off from there, though, scoring just four points, while the Lakers scored 10, giving them the lead heading into the second quarter, 25-24.
Neither side gained much of a cushion during most of the second quarter. Former Laker Kyle Kuzma started to heat up for the Bucks, scoring six points on three straight possessions. After Marcus Smart tied the game at 39 with a three, the Bucks pushed to the game’s first double-digit lead. They did a sensational job of defending Doncic, limiting him to just three total shot attempts in the quarter in 8:57 seconds on the floor. They were able to build a lead as big as 12 points, thanks to a Giannis dunk. KPJ left the game with a hip contusion in the middle of the quarter. LA did get it within seven after a couple of buckets from LeBron, but a layup from Giannis with 12 seconds left put the Bucks up at the break, 61-52.
The Lakers, who shot 50% from three in the first half, kept up their hot shooting to begin the third. Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia hit back-to-back threes to cut the Bucks’ lead down to just three in two minutes. But Milwaukee was able to get their advantage back to double digits: in the final three minutes and 20 seconds of the quarter, KPJ subbed back into the game and helped keep the offense rolling with Giannis on the bench. He scored four of the final nine points for the Bucks in the quarter, as the two sides traded buckets down the stretch. After splitting a pair of free throws, Porter sent the Bucks to the fourth quarter up by nine. 86-77.
Despite not being at the peak of his powers anymore, LeBron James showed he still has plenty left in the tank. He scored and assisted on seven straight points for the Lakers, helping them cut down the Bucks’ lead to just two points with 8:18 to go in the fourth. LeBron kept on chugging for the Lakers, scoring consecutive baskets to give the Lakers a four-point lead by himself, their first lead since the second quarter. But the backcourt duo of Rollins and KPJ tied it right back up with two minutes left. After threes from Turner and LaRavia, KPJ was fouled by Doncic, fouling him out of the game. Porter nailed two out of three free throws, giving the Bucks a two-point lead. The Lakers had a chance to tie it up, but Giannis came up with a clutch steal on a drive by James, and KPJ iced the game with two free throws.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks made the Lakers pay for the few turnovers they did commit in this one. Of the 12 turnovers LA had, the Bucks were able to convert that into 20 points on their end. That 12th and final turnover they forced turned out to be the game-winner for the Bucks, courtesy of Giannis.
