Giannis Antetokounmpo closes door on Lakers and reasserts Bucks’ edge

Milwaukee leaned on defense, toughness and a familiar closer Friday night, and it paid off.

Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered two game-saving defensive plays in the final 40 seconds as the Bucks held off the Lakers, 105-101, at Crypto.com Arena. Both came at the expense of LeBron James, no less.

With 39.2 seconds left and the score tied, Antetokounmpo chased down James and blocked his go-ahead layup from behind. On the ensuing possession, Kevin Porter Jr. was fouled, putting Milwaukee in front.

Moments later, with the Lakers down two, James again attacked the rim. Antetokounmpo met him, poked the ball loose and came away with the steal to seal it.

“Down the stretch, I wanted the challenge,” Antetokounmpo said, via ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “You know he’s going to make a play. I just tried to stay in front of him.”

The Bucks have now won five of their past seven since Antetokounmpo returned from injury on December 27 and six of their past nine overall.

Friday wasn’t a scoring explosion by his standards. He finished with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. It was about impact, not volume.

“We’re playing well, but we can’t be comfortable,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’ve got to keep pushing.”

The loss snapped Los Angeles’ perfect mark in clutch games this season. The Lakers had been 13-0 in games decided by five points or fewer in the final five minutes.

It was also the first regular-season meeting between Antetokounmpo and James since 2022. Afterward, Giannis added another jersey to his collection, a signed purple No. 23.

“You never know,” he said. “Might be our last one.”

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