MILWAUKEE — Coach JJ Redick felt like nearly every game he’s coached so far featured the Lakers dealing with the circumstances they did on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum: down multiple key players, and needing to adjust on the fly in light of short-handed personnel.
So maybe it’s for that reason the Lakers looked as comfortable and in control as they did during their 119-95 road-trip-ending victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Already without LeBron James and Gabe Vincent, the Lakers didn’t have a pair of starters in Rui Hachimura (calf) or Marcus Smart (illness) available on Saturday night.
And they seemingly didn’t miss a beat.
Because the shotmaking and playmaking from Luka Doncic (41 points, nine rebounds and six assists) helped give the Lakers an early energy boost on the second night of a road back-to-back set after Friday night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Because starting center Deandre Ayton brought the energy of a lion that Redick said the team wanted from him pregame. Ayton finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, while also being the primary defender against two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists).
Because Austin Reaves (25 points, eight assists, six rebounds) wouldn’t allow the Bucks to cut any deeper into the Lakers’ lead than 13 in the fourth quarter, with Reaves knocking down a trio of 3-pointers in a 2½-minute span in the fourth to give the Lakers a 19-point lead (103-84).
And because the Lakers saved their best defensive performance of the last week for the end of the trip, limiting the Bucks to just 34 first-half points, the fewest allowed by the Lakers in a first half since Jan. 23, 2021 at Chicago (33).
The Lakers went 3-2 on the five-game trip with Saturday’s victory, improving to a 10-4 record on the season.
Jaxson Hayes was the fourth Laker to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds.
AJ Green had 15 points, while Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points off the bench.