The Lakers lost their second game in a row with a 105-101 loss over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
Luka started hot offensively for the Lakers by draining two 3-pointers early. He also connected with LeBron James, who threw down an emphatic dunk.
LA was up by five when Milwaukee called a timeout. Out of the break, the Bucks scored on a jumper by AJ Green. Los Angeles had no answer for Green, who was a perfect three for three from the field.
Milwaukee put together a 13-3 scoring run to take the lead. They were suddenly shooting 60% from the field. Giannis Antetokounmpo had four points. Jarred Vanderbilt drained a 3-pointer to stop some of the bleeding.
LA closed the quarter well, surging with five points, to put themselves up by one going into the second period.
Kevin Porter Jr. was off to a hot start early for the Bucks in the second frame. He scored seven points. Kyle Kuzma added to Milwaukee’s great quarter with four points of his own. Los Angeles was allowing easy shot attempts for the Bucks, and they were starting to convert them**.**
After a 3-pointer from Gary Harris that put Milwaukee up by five, the Lakers called a timeout. Bobby Portis converted on a triple out of the break, further extending the lead for the Bucks.
Milwaukee had gone up by 12 until a quick five points from LeBron cut that lead down to seven. Giannis responded with a layup, giving the Bucks a nine-point lead at halftime.
Both teams started the second half rocky, missing their shots, until Smart drained a 3-pointer for LA. Jake LaRavia then drilled one of his own, cutting the deficit to three. Green stopped Los Angeles’s momentum with his third 3-pointer of the night.
The Lakers allowed the Bucks to extend their lead again, with Giannis shouldering the offensive load.
At the midway point, LA’s percentage from the field took a hit at 42%. Luka began to take matters into his own hands with a quick six points. Myles Turner responded with a triple.
Going into the fourth period, Los Angeles was down by 11.
The final frame began with a midrange jumper from Dalton Knecht. A sudden five points from LeBron had the Lakers within four. LA went on a big scoring run that put them up by two.
Milwaukee tied the game as it entered clutch time. Los Angeles is 13-0 this season with clutch games, so this was their time to start shining. A pair of free throws from LeBron put the Lakers back up.
At the 2:36 mark, LA was up by two.
The Bucks went up three, Los Angeles went up three, and then Luka fouled Porter Jr. from behind the arc. Luka was fouled out of the game with 16 seconds left. Porter Jr. converted on two of three free throws. LeBron then turned the ball over. Porter Jr. was fouled again and converted on both free throws to seal the win for Milwaukee.
Dončić ended with 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. LeBron scored 26 points with nine rebounds and 10 assists. Smart notched nine points with four rebounds and two steals. LaRavia pitched in with 13 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Hayes had six points off the bench. Vanderbilt scored nine points with nine rebounds and two assists. Gabe Vincent ended with six points, two rebounds and two assists.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Sacramento Kings on Monday at 7:00 PM PT.
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