LeBron James had 37 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 113-103 on Friday in a matchup of clubs with the NBA's best records.
Anthony Davis scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half for the Lakers, who won their third in a row and 10th in the past 11 contests. Davis also had nine rebounds. Kyle Kuzma added 11 points and eight rebounds.
James hit 12 of 21 shots from the floor but missed six of his seven 3-point attempts. He also had three steals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Bucks, who lost for the second time in three games. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17 off the bench while Brook Lopez contributed 13 points before fouling out with 1:11 left. Khris Middleton had an off night, scoring 12 points on 5-for-19 shooting. Eric Bledsoe finished with 11 points.
The Lakers held a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the Bucks rallied. A turnaround jumper by Antetokounmpo pulled them within 105-99 with 2:33 to go, but a bucket and two foul shots by Davis put the Lakers up by 10 with 1:11 remaining.
After a Middleton jumper gave Milwaukee a 55-50 edge less than two minutes into the third quarter, Los Angeles launched an 18-0 run for a 68-55 advantage, capped by a Danny Green 3-pointer with 7:02 remaining. By the end of the third, the Lakers owned an 87-76 lead.
James had 14 points in the third.
The Bucks led by as much as nine in the first half before the Lakers forced a tie at 48 at the break. Davis was limited to 2-of-8 shooting in 10 first-half minutes due to foul trouble.
Overall, Milwaukee committed 20 turnovers to 16 for Los Angeles. The teams shot at nearly an identical rate, with the Lakers converting 41.8 percent to 41.6 percent for the Bucks.
Milwaukee point guard George Hill missed his second straight game due to a groin injury.
--Field Level Media
Milwaukee | L.A. Lakers | |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 32 | Scoring | LeBron James 37 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 6 | Assists | LeBron James 8 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 11 | Rebounds | JaVale McGee 11 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 11 | Free Throws Made | LeBron James 12 |
Eric Bledsoe 3 | Steals | LeBron James 3 |
Donte DiVincenzo 1 | Blocks | Anthony Davis 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Milwaukee | 103 | 41.6 | 12-43 | 17-23 | 22 | 45 | 1 | 8 | 20 |
L.A. Lakers | 113 | 41.8 | 6-32 | 31-38 | 19 | 52 | 4 | 11 | 16 |