LOS ANGELES — — D’Angelo Russell scored 21 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth quarter and scored a go-ahead layup with 5.9 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence for injury to LeBron James for a score of 123-122 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night.
Spencer Dinwiddie blocked Damian Lillard’s step-back jumper just before the buzzer to preserve an emotional win for the Lakers while James sat to rest his sore left ankle, missing his ninth game of the season overall due to a persistent injury.
Los Angeles was carried by Russell, who tied his career high with nine 3-pointers while dishing out nine assists in a spectacular performance. He scored eight points in the final 1:13 as the Lakers recovered from a late deficit and improved to 5-4 without James.
“D-Lo just came in and won the game for us, and obviously with Spence on defense on that last possession,” said Austin Reaves, who scored 18 points for the Lakers. “Just seeing D-Lo return to the game, I kept telling him during the timeouts, ‘Take us home.’
Russell increased his offensive power again when forced to play without James or Davis, shooting with confidence while distributing the ball effectively on offense. Russell was almost as nonchalant afterward about his biggest game of the season, but he acknowledged that an NBA career that included four trades and annual trade rumors swirling around him honed him for tough situations.
“On the field, I always felt like I was capable of doing things, (and) being hot makes things a little more exciting,” Russell said. “Off the field, obviously, you all know what I’ve been through. Public humiliation only transformed me into the killer you all see today. I never lack confidence. I’m never afraid of confrontation. I want all the smoke. … I’m just confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk into, I’m confident.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 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 hang on in their second straight loss.
“It’s a missed opportunity, but if we had won, it wouldn’t make a difference,” Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. “We are trying to improve. I thought we had the game in our hands and we let it go. It happens, and it will happen again, and we will gain from it the other way too.
Milwaukee took its first lead since the start of the second quarter on Antetokounmpo’s jumper with 2:53 remaining. Lillard converted a four-point play two possessions later, but Russell cut the Bucks’ lead to one point on a three-point play with 39 seconds left.
Lillard missed a tough layup to give the Lakers a chance, and Russell hit a leaning 13-footer with 5.9 seconds left. Dinwiddie, making his first start for his hometown Lakers, then smothered Lillard’s final shot.
Rivers cited the Bucks’ fourth-quarter performance as a reason for optimism, even though 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 moment where Damian and Giannis were playing a two-man game, and it was unstoppable. We want to encourage this more and more.
Antetokounmpo recorded his 43rd career triple-double, his eighth of the season and his first since January 24. Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 17 points and hit a key three-pointer down the stretch.
Anthony Davis had 22 points – just two in the fourth quarter while playing with a left shoulder injury – and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who won 11 of 15 as they fought to gain ground in the competitive Western Conference.
Davis said he couldn’t move his shoulder after trying to take a charge from Antetokounmpo. He will be evaluated on Saturday.
James limped off the court with four minutes left in the Lakers’ loss to Sacramento on Wednesday night due to the latest flare-up of an ankle injury that has bothered the leading scorer in NBA history all throughout its 21st season.
Before the game, Rivers said Khris Middleton was “close” to returning from a sprained left ankle that has kept him sidelined for 13 games since Feb. 6.
FOLLOWING
Bucks: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Lakers: Host Minnesota on Sunday night.
——
APNBA:
