Lakers Highlights: D'Angelo Russell's Game Winner Lifts LeBron-Less LA Past Bucks
A tough home visit from a surging Milwaukee Bucks squad (7-3 in their last 10) would've been a challenging matchup even if the Lakers were at full health, but LeBron James (ankle) being ruled out all but doomed LA's perceived chances of coming away with a win.
Enter Los Angeles point guard D'Angelo Russell, who put up an unbelievable 44 points and nine assists on 17-of-25 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from 3-point range. Pairing this with a 22-point, 12-rebound game from All-Star center Anthony Davis, and an 18-point, eight-assist performance from shooting guard Austin Reaves, it was clear that everyone exceeded their expectations in stepping up for LeBron.
D-Lo took over in the final couple of minutes, scoring LA's final 8 points, including a go-ahead floater with 5.9 seconds remaining. Here's a look at it:
For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 62 points and 24 assists, but in the end, it was their spotty defense that collapsed, along with their offense on the final possession of the game, when Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Lillard's game-winning shot attempt.
Here's a look at the rest of LA's top plays on the night:
It's also the 11-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant's game winner against the Raptors in this very building. Fittingly, one of Bryant's final mentees filled his shoes tonight when the lights shined the brightest.
With the victory, Los Angeles improves to a 35-30 record in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, and remains the ninth seed, just one game behind the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks (35-28).
