The LA Lakers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. After losing 107-91 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, the home team hoped to bounce back with a win. LeBron James, who sat out the Spurs contest, returned after getting the green light to play.
The showdown was a seesaw battle right from the opening tip. Milwaukee guards AJ Green and Ryan Rollins combined for 14 points, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had four points, two rebounds and two assists.
Luka Doncic promptly showed his well-rounded impact with six points, four assists and three rebounds. LeBron James contributed five points, two assists and two rebounds. Despite five turnovers, the Lakers led 25-24 after 12 minutes.
The Bucks turned to the paint to take control of the game in the second quarter. Milwaukee made 10 of 12 shots inside the restricted area to enter the halftime break with a 61-52 advantage.
The Milwaukee-LA third-quarter tussle followed the same script that happened in the opening 12 minutes. Both teams exchanged runs, but the period ended with a 25-25 tie. The stalemate favored the visitors, who carried an 86-77 lead entering the final frame.
A 7-2 run by the Lakers in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter cut the Bucks’ lead to 88-84, forcing Doc Rivers to call a timeout. LeBron James hit a 26-footer and a layup during that stretch. The four-time MVP’s strong showing continued. He hit a jumper over AJ Green with 6:02 left to give LA a 92-90 lead, its first since early in the second quarter.
However, the Bucks remained resilient. Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a crucial layup by James. Kevin Porter Jr. earned a foul against Luka Doncic while attempting a 3-pointer. Porter made 2 of 3 free throws to give Milwaukee a 103-101 lead.
Antetokounmpo again showed his defensive brilliance, poking the ball away from James in the next possession. Porter grabbed the loose ball before making two more free throws to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 105-101 win over the LA Lakers.
Milwaukee Bucks vs LA Lakers Match Player Stats (Jan. 9)
| Bucks | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3-PT FG | FT | +/- |
| AJ Green | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4-7 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 10 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 21 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9-11 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 6 |
| Myles Turner | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3-6 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Kevin Porter Jr. | 22 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7-14 | 1-3 | 7-10 | 5 |
| Ryan Rollins | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2-13 | 1-7 | 5-6 | 1 |
| Bobby Portis | 11 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5-12 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Gary Trent Jr. | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 0-0 | -6 |
| Kyle Kuzma | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5-10 | 1-3 | 2-2 | -4 |
| Gary Harris | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Cole Anthony | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Amir Coffey | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Thanasis Antetokounmpo | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Andre Jackson Jr. | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jericho Sims | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lakers | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG | 3-PT FG | FT | +/- |
| LeBron James | 26 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10-21 | 2-7 | 4-6 | 8 |
| Jake LaRavia | 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5-8 | 3-5 | 0-0 | -15 |
| Deandre Ayton | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -13 |
| Marcus Smart | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3-9 | 3-8 | 0-0 | -1 |
| Luka Doncic | 24 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8-25 | 4-6 | 4-8 | -14 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4-7 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Gabe Vincent | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 0-0 | -3 |
| Jaxson Hayes | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 9 |
| Dalton Knecht | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 10 |
| Maxi Kleber | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -3 |
| Bronny James | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Nick Smith Jr. | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Editor’s Note: Updates will follow after the game.
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