It was all Milwaukee Bucks in Los Angeles on Thursday night as they defeated the Lakers 118-89. However, L.A. entered the game with a bulk of their roster sidelined due to injuries and playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
While the Bucks were without Damian Lillard, the Lakers were missing LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Jarred Vanderbilt, and it certainly showed in the team's performance.
Despite this, it opened the door for Lakers rookie Bronny James to get some prominent action. He ended the game with a team-high 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while shooting 70% from the field and 50% from the 3-point line.
Following the game, his performance clearly earned the respect of both Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose postgame handshake with the rookie turned some heads.
Check it out:
Giannis Bronny pic.twitter.com/vXqGE0eubG
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 21, 2025
"Love to see my home team to show love to Bronny man i love living in Wisconsin man," A fan said.
"Giannis gives Bronny his respect." Someone else added.
"Greek is a good human Love to see it," Another fan posted.
One more fan commented, "Class Giannis a real one always."
Antetokounmpo finished the night with 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in just 29 minutes of action. He continues to excel with MVP-level numbers, despite likely still being behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets in the MVP race this season.
That said, both the Bucks and the Lakers are currently well within position over the final 10-plus games to secure top-six seeds in their respective conferences if they can maintain the pace each team has been on over the last two months.
Related: JJ Redick Sends Clear Message to Bronny James After Joining Magic Johnson in Lakers History
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 8:19 AM.