Giannis Antetokounmpo turned two late defensive stands into victory for the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, securing a 105-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
With the score tied at 101 and 39.2 seconds remaining, Antetokounmpo sprinted back to swat away LeBron James’ layup attempt from behind. Milwaukee capitalized when Kevin Porter Jr. was fouled on the next trip and sank the go-ahead free throws.
The Lakers still had a chance, down two in the closing seconds, but Antetokounmpo stripped James on another drive to the rim and gathered the steal that sealed the result.
“Down the stretch, I wanted the challenge,” Antetokounmpo said, according to ESPN. “You know he’s going to make a play. I just tried to stay in front of him.”
The forward finished with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, adding the decisive block and steal to push Milwaukee’s record to 5-2 since his return from injury on December 27 and 6-3 over the past nine games. “We’re playing well, but we can’t be comfortable,” he added. “We’ve got to keep pushing.”
Los Angeles entered the night 13-0 in games decided by five points or fewer in the final five minutes, but that perfect “clutch” mark ended despite 25 points from James. Friday also marked the first regular-season meeting between Antetokounmpo and James since 2022; after the buzzer, the Bucks star received a signed purple No. 23 jersey from the four-time MVP. “You never know,” Antetokounmpo said. “Might be our last one.”
Source: Hoops Wire
