MILWAUKEE — The Los Angeles Lakers nabbed their 10th win of the season following a near-perfect team win against the Bucks, dropping Milwaukee 119-95 on Saturday behind another 40-point game from Luka Dončić.
The Lakers finished 3-2 in their five-game road trip and stand with a 10-4 record for fourth in the Western Conference. With the momentum high and LeBron James set to make his return from injury soon, they are now set to play five of their next six games at home.
“To go 3-2 on a trip like this early in the year is good,” Austin Reaves said, who finished the game with 25 points in the win. “You wish you played a little better against Atlanta and OKC… you’re going to have nights like that and you have to learn to move on.”
The Lakers found a way to get it done at the Fiserv Forum with two starters out of the lineup, a game that was lifted behind a perfect first half that had them up 31 points at halftime.
Luka Dončić was the catalyst of the Lakers, notching his fourth 40-point game of the season and 50th of his career. After 21 points in the first half, Dončić poured in 15 points in the third quarter to help the Lakers stay at bay from a charging, new-life Bucks team.
Milwaukee went on to outscore the Lakers 38-27 in the third, but Dončić, who finished with 41 points (nine rebounds, six assists), and Reaves took over.
Dončić’s stellar third quarter was followed by a Reaves fourth quarter that stopped any chance of a comeback by the Bucks, hitting three big-time 3s when the Lakers needed a bucket most.
Giannis Antetokounmpo still put up a big performance against the Lakers, willing his way to the foul line throughout the game, scoring 13 of his 31 points from the charity stripe.
The Lakers will have the next two days off before their next matchup, which will be at home on Tuesday against the Jazz. This will be the first of two straight games versus Utah.
