Luka Doncic had an epic outing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but it was not enough to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to victory. Doncic posted 45 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort against the Bucks.
The Lakers are showing the impact of having LeBron James sidelined. As for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo was one assist shy of recording a triple-double. Antetokounmpo notched 24 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists as the Bucks cruised to a 126-106 victory.
After the game, Doncic was not willing to take any moral victories for his impressive personal achievements against the Bucks.
"It was okay, but nothing matters if we lose the game," Doncic said candidly during his postgame press conference on Thursday. "At the end of the day, it's a team sport and we've got to be all together.
"Whatever somebody does is great, at the end of the day, you've got to win, so we didn't do that tonight."
The Bucks may have bested the Lakers on Thursday, but the two teams have some things in common heading into the NBA playoffs. Both the Bucks and Lakers sit as the No. 4 seed in their respective conferences.
Yet, both squads find themselves in danger of losing home-court advantage in the first round with the teams behind them in the NBA standings close to moving ahead of the Lakers and Bucks.
Related: Lakers Luka Doncic Turns Heads After Gesture to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Brother
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 9:01 AM.