LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic scored 41 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 119-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 15, as the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder continued to roll.
Austin Reaves added 25 points and eight assists and Deandre Ayton had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who completed a five-game road trip and returned home hoping to see superstar LeBron James make his season debut soon.
Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the Bucks, adding five assists and a blocked shot.
But after hitting just 10 of their 41 shot attempts in the first half, they couldn’t regroup.
The Lakers led by as many as 31 points, hitting 13 three-pointers and outscoring the Bucks 47-39.
Milwaukee made 11 of its 15 three-pointers in the second half, but even though the Bucks’ shooting improved, the Lakers had an answer for every run they made.
The two teams were playing back-to-back rematches and Doncic admitted he would be happy to return home after a week on the road. “We played a lot of games,” he said. “But everyone played amazing, the way we found energy.
“I told the guys we have to lean on each other because I know everyone is tired (but) we came here to win.”
James, who has been sidelined because of sciatica, did not accompany the Lakers on the trip but instead practiced with the team’s G League affiliate as it ramps up preparations to launch its unprecedented 23rd National Basketball Association season.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer could be on the court as early as Nov. 18, when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz.
“We can’t wait,” Doncic said this week. “We can’t all wait.”
In Charlotte, NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points in less than 30 minutes on the floor to lead the Thunder to a fifth straight victory.
Forward Chet Holmgren scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Thunder, who improved to a league-best 13-1.
After the Hornets erased a three-point halftime deficit, tying the score at 57-57, the Thunder went on a 16-1 run to take a 15-point lead.
They led by 20 before taking a 17-point advantage into the fourth.
Even with Gilgeous-Alexander rested for the entire fourth quarter, the Hornets – who were without LaMelo Ball – couldn’t cut the deficit to single digits and lost 109-96.
“We had a good response after halftime,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
“We didn’t play our best game in the first half and we corrected well and made some adjustments to what we were doing and that came in handy in the third.”
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers rallied to a 108-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Cavs trailed much of the way and were down by as many as 11 points in the third quarter. But they dominated the Grizzlies 32-16 in the final quarter.
Evan Mobley scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Jaren Jackson Jr led the Grizzlies with 26 points, but star point guard Ja Morant had just seven before exiting with right calf soreness after playing less than six minutes. AFP
