Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ costly blunders down the stretch on Friday cost the Lakers a gritty win against the Bucks. After James and the second unit turned the tide around at the start of the fourth quarter with a 13-4 run to take a two-point lead, the LA let go off the rope, allowing the Bucks to go 15-11 the rest of the way to win 105-101.
The major momentum swing occurred after Doncic committed his sixth and final foul with 16 seconds left, while closing out on Kevin Porter Jr. at the 3-point line. The game was tied 101-101. Porter hit all three shots, giving Milwaukee a 15-point lead.
Shortly after, James missed the chance to level the scores after JJ Redick didn’t call the timeout and asked the Lakers to close things out. James got past Giannis Antetokounmpo, but had the ball poked out of his hands, leading to the game-sealing turnover. Porter hit two more shots after getting fouled to give the Bucks the win. Prior to that, James got blocked by Antetokounmpo at the rim.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ fans didn’t waste time butting heads on who deserved more blame for the loss on X. Here’s how they reacted:
“We are used to Bron selling when it counts,” one fan wrote.
“They gonna blame LeBron for the loss when it was all Luka’s fault,” another said.
“LeBron took PTO came back played well then got CLAMPED when it mattered and he’s still all smiles afterwards…. …Giannis please come save the Lakers,” one fan added.
“Everday I see more and more why Nico traded him,” another said.
“Got his s*it glassed by Giannis and got ripped by Giannis for game. It’s his fault unfortunately,” one fan wrote.
“luka played bad but that last posession was not it either,” another added.
Luka Doncic takes ownership of 3-point foul
Luka Doncic didn’t hesitate to hold himself accountable for Friday’s loss. The Lakers superstar had 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on a measly 32.0% field goal shooting clip, along with the costly sixth foul he committed on Kevin Porter Jr.
Here’s what Doncic said about his blunders after the game:
“That’s on me, Can’t foul on a 3-pointer… I don’t think he shoots like that, but the referee said it’s a foul so I guess it’s a foul.”
He also admitted that it was a terrible game for him.
The Lakers suffered their 13th loss and first in the clutch this season in 14 such games. This was winnable at one point, but poor execution and lack of stops kept the Lakers at bay. LA will have a chance to turn things around on Monday at the Kings.
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