On March 14, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season was underway, and the Lakers lost to the Bucks 106-126 away, and the Lakers suffered three consecutive defeats. It is worth mentioning that Doncic shot 9-of-15 in the first half, 5-of-9 from three-point range, and got 29 points and 7 rebounds, according to statistics, he also became the third player in Lakers history to be able to play at least 25 points and 5 rebounds in the half and hit 5 three-pointers, the previous two being Kobe Bryant and James.

Statistics

Lakers: Doncic had 45 points and 11 rebounds, which was also the first 40+ points of his Lakers career; Reaves had 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists

Bucks: Antetokounmpo 24 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, Lillard 22 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists, Brooke Lopez 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks,Gary Trent Jr. had 16 points and Porter Jr. had 22 points

Background

The Lakers suffered two straight losses after losing to the Nets last time out, and are currently in fourth place in the West with a 40-23 record. Doncic has averaged 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and eight assists in 12 games since joining the Lakers. Today's away game against the Bucks, James continues to be sidelined due to a groin strain, and the team has sent James, Hayes and Hachimura all back to Los Angeles to rest and recover. The Bucks have been on a three-game losing streak and currently sit in fourth place in the East with a 36-28 record. If they lose today's game against the Lakers, then they will continue to slip down the rankings.

Game recap

Due to the lack of height of the Lakers, Brother Alphabet and others continued to attack the inside to score, and the Bucks scored a 14-8 start. Doncic, who led the team with a single core, scored 7 points, directed a wave of 11-5 small climax, and the Lakers tied the score at 19. When the Bucks regained the lead, Doncic stepped up again and scored 16 points in the quarter, but the Lakers trailed 29-33 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, after Lillard hit seven free throws in a row, he hit a long-range three-pointer, and the Bucks gained a 12-point advantage. At the critical moment, Doncic stepped up and scored four consecutive goals to help the Lakers chase the score to 48-50. Porter Jr. hit three three-pointers to reassert the Bucks' advantage. At the end of the first half, the Bucks, who had blossomed more points, led the Lakers 71-63.

In the second half, Brother Alphabet wanted to give under the basket, and after the Lakers contracted their defense, the Bucks immediately bombed the basket on the outside, relying on a wave of 13-3 offense, and the Bucks instantly extended their advantage to 23 points. Although Doncic did some after that, the Lakers trailed 82-102 at the end of the third quarter. In the last quarter, Reaves scored 8 points in a row to help the Lakers narrow the gap to 16 points, and then Doncic and others also played, but the Bucks did not give the opponent a chance to reverse the game, and finally the Bucks beat the Lakers.

Both sides start

Lakers: Luka Doncic, Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, Alex Lane, Austin Reaves

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Torrien Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez