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LOS ANGELES – The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a heart-breaking final second loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night time at Crypto.com Area, falling 123-122 within the remaining moments.
A D’Angelo Russell floater gave his group the lead with 5.9 seconds remaining, and Damian Lillard’s step-back, go-ahead try was blocked by Spencer Dinwiddie.
“There was solely 4 seconds left, so Doc (Rivers) drew the play up for me to get a catch and just about get downhill and assault,” Lillard stated of the ultimate play. “Received the catch, I lined him up, crossed him up, acquired to my proper hand and he was on the facet of me and he was coming downhill like he was attempting to get well and I went right into a step-back. He simply made an excellent play on the ball.
“Normally guys, you recognize, they’ll type of plant once they goin’ one course and attempt to get well however his ft by no means stopped transferring after I seemed on the replay. He was going this manner and his ft simply type of stored crawling up beneath me. Normally, I’d shoot that shot a bit of bit faster however I felt like I had a bit of bit more room than I did and he simply made an excellent play on it.”
An official evaluation of a Giannis Antetokounmpo shot simply after the buzzer confirmed Dinwiddie’s block certainly ended the sport.
“Oh, give the ball to one of the best nearer on this sport right now,” Antetokounmpo stated of the Bucks’ remaining play with Lillard. “He’s going to make a play. Regardless of the final result of that play is, you gotta stay with that.”
Russell’s 44 factors helped offset the absence of LeBron James for Los Angeles, who acquired 22 factors from Anthony Davis and 18 from Austin Reaves. The Lakers improved to 34-30.
The Bucks (41-23) have been led by Antetokounmpo’s 34-point, 14-rebound, 12-assist triple-double. Lillard had his ninth double-double of the yr with 28 factors and 12 assists whereas Malik Beasley (14) and Brook Lopez (11) additionally reached double figures for the Bucks as starters. Pat Connaughton had 17 and Bobby Portis 14 off the bench.
D’Angelo Russell’s greatest sport of season leads Lakers
After a comparatively quiet begin to the sport with 5 factors within the first quarter, Russell scored 11 of his group’s 40 factors within the second quarter to assist Los Angeles take management of the sport. Russell and Austin Reaves mixed to go 5 for six from behind the three-point line whereas Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish acquired behind the protection for assaults on the rim. Reddish made a layup whereas Hayes had a dunk and made 4 of 6 free throws.
“Gotta go watch movie and see what errors we made,” Antetokounmpo stated of the second quarter. “I really feel like there was a pair occasions that our low man wasn’t early within the paint, was capable of get into the paint, get to the free throw line, get some dunks after which once we have been early they kicked it out. We have been enjoying a lot within the gray space that value us, possibly like 10, 15 factors. That’s from the highest of my head.”
Within the third quarter Taurean Prince was the Los Angeles position participant took benefit of the Bucks as he scored eight factors within the third quarter, together with 2 three-pointers.
However Russell continued his sizzling capturing into the fourth, flattening two early threes to enhance to 7 for 8 from behind the three-point line. He then scored his 30th and 31st factors of the night time on a troublesome floater over Brook Lopez, turning into the primary guard to attain 30 or extra on the Bucks since Devin Booker did it for Phoenix again on Feb. 6.
BOX SCORE:Lakers 123, Bucks 122
Russell then shook free to knock down his eighth three-pointer of the night time in entrance of the Bucks bench to provide the Lakers a 108-103 lead with 5:31 to go within the sport.
The guard then took his sport to the rim, drawing a blocking foul on Lillard for a three-point play that reduce the Bucks result in 122-121.
“I assumed the largest play for them was the three-point play — that was a crusher,” Rivers stated.“
You reside with contested twos, you recognize? He made ‘em. However you’d somewhat have that than the opposite photographs. I’ll stay with that. I nonetheless wish to watch it. I feel the primary half they have been capturing nearly 60% so I didn’t assume we had a terrific defensive night time tonight. I assumed within the first half they killed us on their rolls and that ought to’ve been lined. We normally have a low man there, we didn’t tonight.”
After the Lakers compelled a cease, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham stored the ball within the sizzling participant’s palms.
First, Russell labored on Beasley earlier than he compelled a swap to attract Lillard. Russell then labored the Bucks’ guard to 13 ft and knocked down one other one-handed shot to provide his group a 123-122 lead with 5.9 seconds left.
It proved to be the sport winner.
“We had a variety of, simply miscommunications,” Lillard stated. “I used to be on the ball, they referred to as Brook as much as get a swap to place Brook on the ball, they acquired the swap, Brook referred to as the swap, it’s one among our coverages – when Brook will get put in that kind of scenario on the perimeter we run someone on the ball and we simply double the ball, make ‘em throw it out and we rotate. I knew the clock was winding down so as soon as I noticed Brook on the wing by himself I went to double and I used to be coming from the facet of him, so after I came visiting to double Brook backed out and he type of began going downhill and he ended up capturing a floater. It was only a miscommunication on the improper time on the finish.”
Rivers acknowledged possibly he might’ve have Pat Beverley within the sport in that occasion, but when the Lakers shot missed Rivers needed Lillard on the courtroom for these remaining offensive seconds.
“’D-Lo’ acquired going downhill, we had them within the pick-and-roll, possibly I ought to’ve made extra a play on the ball, entice him a bit of bit,” Lopez stated. “I didn’t wish to quit a layup behind me ore one thing like that. However, a man’s having a sport like that you just most likely ought to go up and take the ball out of his palms.”
Russell scored 21 of his 44 within the fourth quarter. He additionally had 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
“I feel a participant such as you that you just gotta get into him, be a bit of extra bodily,” Antetokounmpo stated. “I really feel like he was enjoying freely on the market, was capable of get to his pots. He was capturing bounce photographs. Clearly he did have the nice sport, lead his group all the best way to the tip, wo the sport for them, made nice passes, made nice photographs, nice choices. He was unbelievable for tonight. However for gamers like that you recognize they’re going to be extra aggressive than standard, you gotta be extra bodily. Typically there’s gonna be performs that you just gotta possibly deny them, get into them, ship them to the paint, simply make it a bit of bit harder, take them out of their consolation zone. At occasions we have been capable of do it, however we didn’t do it sufficient.”
Anthony Davis had a sometimes robust all-around sport with 22 factors, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and three blocked photographs – however with out LeBron James different gamers needed to step up on the offensive finish. Russell was the one who ended up with the lion’s share, however Hayes, Reddish and Prince (24 factors on 7 of 13 capturing) made key buckets when wanted.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s passing offers Bucks probability late
Antetokounmpo set a profession excessive along with his eighth triple-double of the season when he discovered Connaughton open within the nook for a three-pointer that put the Bucks up 114-112 with 2:25 to go within the sport.
Antetokounmpo continued distributing within the clutch after that, organising a Lillard four-point play off after which discovering Connaughton reducing baseline for a lay-in that gave Milwaukee a 120-115 benefit.
The Bucks’ MVP candidate recorded his profession greatest triple-double in his 61st sport this season. He had seven triple-doubles in 61 video games in 2020-21.
He’s at the moment fourth within the league in triple-doubles this season behind Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (22), Denver’s Nikola Jokić (20) and Dallas’s Luka Dončić (15).
It’s the 43rd profession triple-double for Antetokounmpo, tying him with Fats Lever for No. 12 all-time. Antetokounmpo is seventh amongst lively gamers.
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With 10 minutes, 23 seconds to go within the third quarter Lakers ahead Rui Hachimura determined to problem Lopez on the rim, and Lopez rejected the highly effective dunk try from the 6-foot, 8-inch, 230-pounder – resulting in a wide-eyed incredulous response from Hachimura and a easy shake of the top from Lopez.
Davis then stated what you are able to do, I can do higher as he first blocked a Lopez layup try after which rallied to dam a Antetokounmpo dunk try inside 5 seconds of each other a couple of minutes later to drive a Bucks shot clock violation.
To not be omitted, Antetokounmpo swallowed up one other Hachimura dunk try late within the fourth quarter on a formidable block that led to a Connaughton free throw.
5 numbers
5-4 The Lakers document with out LeBron James this season.
14:07 Consecutive minutes Antetokounmpo performed to start the second half. He was on the ground for the whole third quarter and the opening 2:07 of the fourth. Regardless of the lengthy stint, the Bucks couldn’t recover from the hump on the Lakers who led 97-94 when he exited within the early fourth.
25-4 Bucks document when Lillard scores at the very least 25 factors. He had 28 on 10-of-23 capturing.
40 Factors scored by the Lakers within the second quarter, giving them a 67-63 halftime lead. That adopted a 40-point first quarter by Golden State on Wednesday. Earlier than these final two video games, Milwaukee had not allowed a 40-point quarter since Miami reached the quantity in a Feb. 13 victory over the Bucks at Fiserv Discussion board.
The one different groups apart from Miami to attain 40 factors in a single quarter have been Dallas (44, first quarter) and Utah (40, fourth quarter).
2,564 Profession made three-pointers for Lillard, fourth-most all-time in NBA historical past. His first three-pointer of the night time vs. the Lakers moved him out of a tie with Indiana’s Reggie Miller. Solely Stephen Curry (3,680), Ray Allen (2,973) and James Harden (2,910) rank forward of Lillard.
Extra:How Giannis Antetokounmpo learned to get over himself to play the best basketball of his career
LeBron James dominated out vs. Bucks
The NBA’s all-time main scorer was downgraded to out for the Los Angeles Lakers with a left ankle sprain. James has been managing the ankle because the all-star break and had performed the final seven video games.
When is Khris Middleton enjoying?
Khris Middleton was dominated out for the Lakers sport early, which means he’ll miss his thirteenth straight sport since severely spraining his left ankle against Phoenix on Feb. 6.
He spoke for the primary time since that harm on Monday, and he stated they’re “simply attempting to get the swelling out.”
“Had a variety of swelling initially after I twisted, or rolled, the ankle,” Middleton stated. “Plenty of it has gone out. Simply ready on this final little bit to go, so I can transfer freely with out ache or something like that.”
Extra:Milwaukee Bucks all-star Khris Middleton speaks on ankle injury: ‘I need to be playing’
Friday’s missed sport is of significance because it means Middleton won’t play in 62 video games and he’ll miss out on a $1.5 million bonus. Middleton was on his option to assembly that threshold after enjoying in 43 of the Bucks’ first 51 video games.
The truth that Middleton won’t earn the bonus didn’t have an effect on whether or not the Bucks are over the second “tax apron,” as they have been over it anyway. It’s going to solely have an effect on the Bucks’ 2023-24 luxurious tax cost and his cap hit for 2024-25.
