THE Milwaukee Bucks survived the dominant performance of LeBron James, stealing a road game win against the Los Angeles Lakers, 105-101, in the National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season game at the Crypto.com Arena in California on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 (PH time).
Milwaukee’s guard Kevin Porter Jr. dropped 22 points, five rebounds and six assists, including a couple of free throws that broke the 101-all deadlock after Antetokounmpo blocked James’ driving layup with 39 seconds remaining.
Moments later, Antetokounmpo stripped the ball from James from behind with two seconds left, and Porter added two more free throws to secure the win.
The victory marked Milwaukee’s fifth win in the last seven games and its first win over a team with a winning record since Dec. 11 last year.
All-around forward Antetokounmpo chipped in 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. It was his lowest scoring total since returning from a right calf strain.
Veteran All-Star LeBron James tallied 26 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, but it was not enough to carry the Lakers to victory.
Los Angeles has now lost six of its last 10 games.
Luka Doncic made 24 points and nine assists for the Lakers on 8-of-25 shooting, his lowest-scoring outing since Christmas. He fouled out with 16.2 seconds left after committing a foul on Porter’s three-point attempt.
Milwaukee built a double-digit lead in the first half despite Antetokounmpo playing under a minute’s restriction. Dončić scored 12 points in the third quarter but picked up four fouls in the period, including his fifth.
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura remained sidelined for the Lakers due to injuries.
The Lakers dropped to sixth place in the West with 23-13 (win-loss) record while the Bucks are at 11th spot in the East with a 17-21 slate. / RSC