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No LeBron James no problem as Lakers’ Luka Doncic puts on clinic vs. Bucks
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- No LeBron James no problem as Lakers’ Luka Doncic puts on clinic vs. Bucks
The post No LeBron James no problem as Lakers' Luka Doncic puts on clinic vs. Bucks appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Los Angeles Lakers headed to Milwaukee riding a wave of confidence despite LeBron James sitting out with sciatica. Luka Doncic had already made it clear the team needed to embrace a next-man-up approach during this stretch , and he backed up those words with another explosive performance against the Bucks.
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Doncic dropped 41 points in the Lakers' 119-95 road blowout of the Bucks on Friday night. He stuffed the stat sheet with nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 5-of-11 from deep and a scorching 18-of-20 from the free-throw line.
Doncic wasted no time taking control, building a massive first-half lead with Austin Reaves and DeAndre Ayton that ballooned to 31 points at one stage.
Milwaukee tried to claw back multiple times throughout the night, but Doncic had an answer every trip down the floor. His ability to draw fouls killed any momentum the Bucks tried to build, and the free-throw line became his personal playground as he punished Milwaukee's defenders for reaching and overplaying his drives.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a respectable 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome Doncic's dominance. The Lakers star dictated the pace and rhythm from start to finish, while Reaves chipped in 25 points and eight assists, and Ayton added a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double to provide crucial support.
The win marked Doncic's fourth 40-point game of the season, a blistering stretch that has him climbing up the MVP ladder despite missing a handful of games early on. His case grows stronger with each dominant outing like this one, and the national spotlight in Los Angeles only amplifies his candidacy.
Through 14 games, the Lakers sit at 10-4 without their 40-year-old legend. Doncic is doing the heavy lifting with averages of 34.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists on 46.9 percent shooting from the field.
Right now, he's showing the Lakers made the right bet. Even without LeBron, they look like a legitimate threat in the West with Doncic running the show.
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