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MILWAUKEE — Luka Dončić scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112 on Wednesday night for their seventh straight win. They finished without Austin Reaves, who left in the third quarter with a left heel injury.
The official play-by-play shows Reaves missing a transition dunk attempt with 8:21 left in the third quarter, and he came out at a timeout at 5:20. Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game that Reaves’ X-rays were negative. “We will get imaging tomorrow. Probably no update besides that,” Redick said.
Reaves had 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, made all 5 of his free throws, and had 5 assists and 3 steals in 25 minutes. Fifteen of his points came in the first half.
“Obviously, we lose a very, very good player. Hopefully, it’s nothing. But, you know, we got to have next man up mentality,” Dončić said.
Dončić shot 10-of-25 from the field, 5-of-12 from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 at the line, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 32 minutes. He scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first quarter, and his layup with 8:13 left in that period gave the Lakers a lead they never gave up.
Sandro Mamukelashvili came off the bench for 23 points, making 9 of 15 shots and 5 of 8 3-pointers, two days after scoring 23 in a 124-114 win at Atlanta.
Redick said the keys for Mamukelashvili are “belief, focus, and freedom,” and that he wants him “to understand how much his teammates, his coaches, myself, we believe in him.” Mamukelashvili said time on two-way deals and out of rotations earlier in his career wore on him. “I feel like it mentally kind of drains you. It kind of sometimes makes you doubt yourself,” he said.
He said the Lakers have told him they want him to be himself. “But I never had a chance to have somebody who would tell me that. It started a little bit last year, but I feel like this year I feel much more freedom,” Mamukelashvili said. Center Walker Kessler put it simply: “He’s just getting more confident as he plays more.”
Lakers Pull Away In The Third Quarter
Los Angeles led 30-28 after one quarter and 61-50 at halftime. Tyler Herro scored 11 of Milwaukee’s 22 points in the second quarter, when the Bucks went 2-of-11 from 3-point range.
The Lakers made 7 of 11 3-pointers in the third and won the quarter 33-23 for a 94-73 lead. Matisse Thybulle scored 8 in the period, including two 3-pointers 30 seconds apart. Herro and Ziaire Williams received a double technical foul with 19.6 seconds left in the quarter.
Dončić scored his final basket with 4:25 remaining, sinking a 23-foot step-back jumper while being fouled by Kyle Kuzma. He converted the free throw to put his team ahead 114-90, then was replaced by Bronny James. Milwaukee won the fourth quarter 39-29.
Dončić had gone back in at 6:51 only because Collin Sexton was hurt, and Redick said Sexton needed sutures near his temple. “I don’t think Luka would have gotten back in the game had Colin not busted his head open,” Redick said.
“I’m good. You know, obviously, it’s painful a little bit, but I’ll be fine,” Dončić said afterward.
Herro Scores 27 In His Return
Herro led Milwaukee with 27 points and 7 assists after missing Tuesday’s game with a right knee contusion. He went 8-for-16 from the field and made 9 of 10 free throws. Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 25 points on 7-for-16 shooting and converted all 9 of his free throws.
Milwaukee went 29-of-33 from the line but hit just 13 of 38 3-pointers and shot 43.2%. Los Angeles shot 46.3%, assisted on 32 baskets, and outrebounded Milwaukee 48-40. Kuzma and Ousmane Dieng scored 9 points apiece for the Bucks. Kel’el Ware finished with 8 points and 3 blocks, while Ryan Rollins added 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Lakers scored 28 points off Milwaukee’s 18 turnovers and recorded 14 steals. They also hauled in 19 offensive rebounds, including 7 by Jake LaRavia, and outscored the Bucks 33-6 in second-chance points. “The biggest thing for us was just the crashing and the second chance points,” Redick said. “I mean, Jake, with seven offensive rebounds, I had to look at the stat line twice to make sure it was correct, but six assists.”
Kessler had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists. Sexton scored 10, Williams had 9 points and 5 assists, Thybulle finished with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, and LaRavia had 9 rebounds and 6 assists without scoring.
Lakers Head To Phoenix
Los Angeles is 11-2, the best record in the NBA. Dončić leads the league at 38.6 points per game. Milwaukee is 1-11 after its eighth straight loss.
Redick said he warned the team before the game not to read too much into Milwaukee’s record. “Record doesn’t necessarily speak to the level of talent they have on this roster right now. This could have easily been a trap game for us,” he said. Kessler said finishing the trip “3-0 on the road, especially East Coast, that was big time.”
The Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. The Bucks visit the Orlando Magic on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
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