MILWAUKEE — The Lakers’ defensive success over the last few months, entering Saturday with the league’s best defensive rating since Jan. 15 and the second-best since Dec. 8, has been built on a combination of improved effort, scheme and positional size/versatility.
But with the Lakers lacking the latter in light of their injuries, with their starting frontcourt flying back to Los Angeles after Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Coach JJ Redick acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining their defensive aptitude.
“It’s a massive challenge,” Redick said. “I’ve sung LeBron [James’] praises lately and earlier in the season, I sung Rui’s praises. Frankly, Jaxson’s been awesome for us defensively. We really missed him the last two games, both on the defensive side and as a vertical spacer on the offensive end. Rui just connects us on both ends.
“So missing those guys is huge. And obviously missing LeBron is huge.”
Those absences were once again felt on Thursday night with the Lakers (40-24) getting blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks, 126-106, their third consecutive loss on a four-game trip that concludes Friday night in Denver, which is the first of three back-to-back sets over the next week.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 45 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes, his highest scoring total since joining the team and his first 40-point performance.
Austin Reaves added 28 points, eight rebounds and three assists, his best game since a two-game absence because of a strained right calf.
Doncic shot 14 for 27 from the field and 7 for 13 from 3-point range, with the 26-year-old Slovenian star’s shot-making keeping the Lakers in the game despite the Bucks’ offensive success against the Lakers’ depleted lineup.
The Bucks (37-28) scored at least 31 points in each of the first three quarters.
Doncic scored 16 of the Lakers’ 29 first-quarter points and scored another 13 in the second, with the Bucks taking a 71-63 lead into halftime.
But Milwaukee took advantage of Doncic and the Lakers cooling off after a strong start to the third, until Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 points during a 24-7 run that extended Milwaukee’s lead from 76-70 to 100-77 late in the third quarter.
The Bucks led by 23 (100-77) before the third period ended, taking a 102-82 lead into the fourth.
Redick pulled his main rotation players with 4:06 remaining and his team trailing 122-102.
Milwaukee was led by Antetokounmpo (24 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists) and Damian Lillard (22 points, 10 assists and six rebounds). Brook Lopez added 23 points, five assists, four rebounds and four blocked shots, while Kevin Porter Jr. (22 points) and Gary Trent Jr. (16 points) combined for 38 of the Bucks’ 45 bench points.
The Lakers’ reserves scored 20 points.
Doncic also had six of the Lakers’ 13 turnovers, his seventh consecutive game with at least five turnovers.
More to come on this story.