By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Milwaukee Bucks spoiled the Los Angeles Lakers’ attempt to break their losing streak and handed them a one-sided defeat, 126-106, during their inter-conference matchup on March 14, 2025, in the ongoing NBA regular season.
Longing to end their NBA skid since LeBron James was ruled out temporarily due to a groin injury, the Lakers just couldn’t catch a break and has now dropped three consecutive losses.
Facing a healthy and deep Milwaukee squad was not what the Lakers wanted on the road as they just had enough firepower to survive the offensive rampage by Luka Doncic.
Doncic almost single-handedly brought Los Angeles back into the ball game when he torched the Bucks in the second quarter en route to a game-high 45-point masterpiece.
However, Milwaukee got their scoring from a balanced attack and matched Doncic’s spree with their crisp ball movement. The Bucks tallied a total of 30 assists in the win, a testament to why they are a well-oiled machine in the Eastern Conference.
Five Milwaukee players all reached double-digits in scoring, with four other guys from the bench entering the offensive column to wrap up the win with a collective effort.
Los Angeles still kept themselves within striking distance in the first half after Doncic went crazy from the field, hitting ridiculous three-pointers from weird angles while foul-baiting the Milwaukee frontcourt during the pick-and-roll switch.
The complexion of the game entirely changed in the third quarter when Milwaukee amped up their defensive pressure. The game plan was simple for head coach Doc Rivers, let Doncic score, and lock up the other four.
That strategy paid off dividends for the Bucks as Doncic slowed down in the final four minutes of the third and had to be subbed out at the start of the fourth to preserve his energy.
When Doncic was not on the floor for the Lakers, the Bucks started to roll on both ends of the floor and ballooned their largest lead of the ball game to 23 points.
By the time the Slovenian superstar checked back in the ninth-minute mark, Milwaukee already had their offensive groove going and hit a barrage of three-pointers from Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick waved the white flag in the final four minutes of the ball game when they failed to trim their deficit to 10 points. What made Los Angeles’ situation even worse was when they reached their foul limit at the sixth-minute mark of the fourth.
Giannis Antetokounmpo almost capped off the win with a near triple-double and was one assist shy after logging in 24 points, 12 rebounds, and nine dimes.
Lopez also did his part when the Lakers sagged off him in the pick-and-pop as the veteran big man splashed three treys, finishing the ball game with 23 markers, five assists, and four boards.
Porter Jr., one of the most valuable pick-ups for the Bucks during the NBA trade deadline, achieved his second-best scoring performance since donning the green jersey with 22 points.
