The Lakers have quietly been one of the best teams in the NBA this season, going 18-8 on Friday night in games with fewer than five points in the final five minutes, the highest winning percentage in the league (they have a net rating of +6.7). in these minutes).
Make it 19-8 after the Lakers made key plays down the stretch to beat the Bucks on Friday 123-122 – and they did it without LeBron James.
It starts with a monster night from D’Angelo Russell – 44 points, going 9 of 12 from 3. However, his biggest shot was a game-winning floater in the lane with 5.9 seconds left.
That still left time for the Bucks to tie the game or take the lead and they have the most important player in the league in Damian Lillard. Doc Rivers made a play to isolate Lillard, but Spencer Dinwiddie read him well and came up with the backup block.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double of 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Anthony Davis added 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Lakers.
The win moved the Lakers to ninth in the West, a half-game ahead of the Warriors and a game behind the eighth-seeded Mavericks. Los Angeles needs a win now to improve its ranking and Russell and Dinwiddie made sure to get a big one despite LeBron’s night off.
Questions about the Bucks and their playoff chances persist. With their defeat and the Cavaliers’ victory on Friday, Milwaukee falls to third place. They have a little over a month to get everything straightened out before the playoffs begin.
