On Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks brought the action to the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, but were beaten by their hosts who edged with 10 points, ending the match 103-113.

LeBron James had the night to himself with 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. On the Bucks side, Giannis Antetokounmpo pushed his team forward with 32 points.

The game was action-packed from the very beginning as both teams struggled to have the upper hand. Although the Bucks played a better game, Giannis alone scoring 10 points in the first four minutes.

They continued with more shots to end the quarter with 22 points while the Lakers had 19. The two teams continued to go after each other, although the Bucks let MVP Giannis handle most of the work. By halftime, both teams were tied at 48.

The last two quarters saw a drop in the Bucks side as LeBron and his boys continued to drop shots. Already, LeBron was strongly guarding off Giannis, a feat Coach Frank Vogel would later commend him for.

Anthony Davis was there to assist LeBron with 30 points in total. By the end of the third quarter, Lakers had taken the lead. The fourth quarter saw the Bucks trying to take back their lead as Giannis scored 12 points. They finished the quarter with more points, but Lakers had won the game since the third quarter.

By winning the game, the Lakers have now earned a playoff berth, something they haven’t done since the 2012/2013 season and that was largely thanks to LeBron’s stellar performance. Speaking after the match, LeBron expressed his delight at that fact, saying “The league is not what it is if the Lakers are not winning.”

Although the Bucks are still the team at the top with 53 wins and Friday’s loss being their 10th, they have now lost 2 of their 3 last games. Giannis admitted after, the game, that his team did not play smart, seeing the game as something they are doing to learn from. Meanwhile, he continues his record as the man with the most 30 points as Friday was his 10th for the season.

Written by Leon Osamor