Anthony Davis led a stunning late fightback as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 128-124 in double overtime on Tuesday (all-time U.S.).
With LeBron James ruled out due to injury, Davis spent nearly 52 minutes on the court to rally the Lakers to victory against an in-form Bucks team that entered the clash on a six-game winning streak.
Davis finished with 34 points, 23 rebounds and two assists while also making four blocks in an impressive defensive display.
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The Lakers veteran was supported offensively by Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, who both finished with 29 points each.
Reaves had just the second triple-double of his career, with 14 rebounds and 10 assists to go along with his 29 points.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee was wondering where it all went wrong after leading the game from the start of the first quarter until the Lakers tied it at 101-101 thanks to two free throws from Taurean Prince at the 44-second mark. of the end.
Two see-saw overtime periods saw the lead come and go until a 28-foot Reaves three-pointer and two Russell free throws gave the Lakers a decisive 126-121 advantage with 14 seconds remaining. the end.
Malik Beasley’s three-pointer cut the lead to two points for Milwaukee, but two more free throws from Davis sealed the victory.
“That was a heck of a team win there,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said afterward.
“The guys did it – they came together once again and went head-to-head. It was a great way to start a six-game road trip.
Reaves, for his part, praised Davis’ performance. The 31-year-old was clearly struggling to move for much of the match after injuring his knee in a collision with Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton.
“He just wanted to keep fighting with us,” Reaves said of Davis. “Every time he’s on the field, he makes an impact.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee scorers with 29 points while Damian Lillard finished with 27.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, meanwhile, said his team paid the price for not putting the game out of reach after twice opening double-digit leads.
“When your team is down 18 points, you have a chance to extend that lead to 30, and we didn’t do that,” Rivers said.
“Instead, we let it go from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and that gave them hope. This will be a good lesson for us. This victory leaves the Lakers firmly on track for at least a spot in the play-in tournament. The Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference with a 40-32 record. The Bucks remain second in the Eastern Conference despite falling to 46-26.
In other games Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors boosted their hopes of reaching the playoffs with a huge 113-92 victory over the Miami Heat on the road.
Klay Thompson produced 28 points off the bench, including six three-pointers, while Jonathan Kuminga added 18. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins added 17 each as the Warriors improved to 37-34 to stay in 10th in the West.
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Oklahoma City Thunder kept the pressure on Western Conference leader Denver with a 119-112 victory over the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson finished with 29 points and 10 assists for New Orleans, but the Thunder’s balanced offense carried them to a victory that leaves them a half-game behind Denver in the West at 50-21.
Jalen Williams finished with 26 points, while Josh Giddey added 25 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24 for the Thunder.
