LOS ANGELES – D'Angelo Russell scored 21 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds left as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence due to LeBron James' injury to win 123-122. over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.
Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Damian Lillard's step-back jumper just before the buzzer to preserve a thrilling victory for the Lakers, while James sat out to rest his sore left ankle, missing his ninth game of the season overall due to the injury. persistent.
Los Angeles was carried by Russell, who tied his career high with nine three-pointers and also dished out nine assists in a spectacular performance. He scored eight points in the final 1:13 as the Lakers rallied from a late deficit and improved to 5-4 without James.
“D-Lo just stepped up and won the game for us, and obviously with Spence with the defense on that last possession,” said Austin Reaves, who scored 18 points for the Lakers. “Just watching D-Lo take over the game, he was constantly telling him in timeouts, 'Take us home.'”
Russell again increased his offensive output when forced to play without James or Davis, shooting with confidence while also distributing the ball effectively on offense. Russell was nonchalant afterward about his biggest game of the season, but acknowledged that an NBA career that includes four trades and annual trade rumors swirling around him has honed his approach in tough situations.
“On the court, I always felt capable of doing things, [and] “The heat makes it a little more exciting,” Russell said. “Off the court, obviously you all know what I've been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but turn me into the killer everyone sees today. I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke… “I just feel confident in what I bring to the game of basketball, so wherever I go in, I'm confident.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for Milwaukee. Lillard scored eight of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks couldn't hold off their second straight loss.
“It's a missed opportunity, but if we would have won, it doesn't change anything,” Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. “We're trying to go and get better. I thought we had the game in our hands and we let it go. That happens, and it will happen again, and we'll win the other way around, too.”
Milwaukee took its first lead since early in the second quarter on Antetokounmpo's jumper with 2:53 left. Lillard converted a four-point play two possessions later, but Russell cut the Bucks' lead to one point with a three-point play with 39 seconds left.
Lillard missed a tough layup to give the Lakers a chance, and Russell hit a 13-foot slant with 5.9 seconds left. Dinwiddie, who was making his first start with his hometown Lakers, smothered Lillard's final shot.
Rivers cited the Bucks' fourth-quarter performance as cause for optimism, even if his team didn't finish.
“You want to win all these games, but that's what we're going to keep doing more and more until it becomes us,” Rivers said. “There was a time when Damian and Giannis were playing a two-man game and it was unstoppable. We want to encourage that more and more.”
Antetokounmpo recorded the 43rd triple-double of his career, his eighth of the season and his first since January 24. Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 17 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch.
Anthony Davis scored 22 points (only two in the fourth quarter while playing with a left shoulder injury) and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 11 of 15 as they struggle to gain ground in the competitive Western Conference.
Davis said he couldn't move his shoulder after trying to take an attack from Antetokounmpo. He will be evaluated on Saturday.
James limped off the court with four minutes left in the Lakers' loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night with the latest flare-up of an ankle injury that has bothered the leading scorer in NBA history during his 21st season. .
Before the game, Rivers said Khris Middleton is “close” to returning from the sprained left ankle that has sidelined him for 13 games since Feb. 6.
