Luka Dončić scores 45 factors however Lakers lose third straight with LeBron James nonetheless out

With out LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers nonetheless have some issues to determine. On Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to a 126-106 win over the James-less Lakers, choosing up a simple 20-point win at dwelling.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K]

With James nonetheless out with a groin pressure, Luka Dončić did his greatest to take over, dropping 45 factors and 11 rebounds within the loss. The statline was his highest level whole in a Lakers uniform, but it surely wasn’t sufficient to beat an early Bucks lead.

Issues had been comparatively shut for the primary half, with the Bucks getting the slight edge from the beginning. Milwaukee pulled to a double-digit lead within the second quarter, however the Lakers went on a 10-0 run to chop into that deficit. Dončić hit a nasty step-back three to get Los Angeles inside two factors.

However the Bucks began to tug away once more, keeping off one other Lakers comeback to take a 71-63 lead at halftime. Issues solely received higher for Milwaukee (and worse for Los Angeles) from there: By the tip of the third quarter, the Bucks’ lead had grown to twenty factors.

The fourth quarter was extra even, however Milwaukee’s lead was too huge for Los Angeles to beat. The Bucks ended up with the win, 126-106.

It wasn’t fairly the Antetokounmpo-Dončić matchup that some may need been hoping for. Antetokounmpo completed with 24 factors and 12 rebounds after a gradual first half. Whereas he received his footing, Kevin Porter Jr. led the Bucks in scoring, getting 25 factors off the bench — together with six three-pointers.

Even within the loss, Dončić was dominant for the Lakers, getting 29 factors within the first half. However he alone could not carry the short-handed workforce.

The loss marks the third straight for Los Angeles, and the second loss with out James. James, who suffered his harm on Saturday, is ready to be out for per week or two, pending additional analysis. Within the meantime, the Lakers should discover a approach to make issues work in his absence: The workforce has 4 video games within the subsequent week, together with two video games towards the Denver Nuggets.