15 hours ago
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You win and lose in the hands of your stars, whether it's behind great play or a losing mistake.
Friday night, Lakers Luka Dončić and LeBron James were on the wrong end of it, faltering late in the closing possessions that led to a 105-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena.
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Dončić fouled out of the game with 16.2 seconds left and the score tied, making contact with Bucks' Kevin Porter Jr., shooting a three-pointer. It was the first time he committed six fouls in his Lakers tenure.
"I had six fouls for the first time in a long time. That's on me; I can't foul the 3-pointer," Dončič said. "I don't think he [Porter Jr.] shoots like that, but the referee said it was a foul, so I guess it's a foul."
After Porter Jr. connected on two of his three free throw attempts, the Lakers had a chance to tie or go for the win.
The ball was in James' hands with the clock winding down and Giannis Antetokounmpo in front of him, down 103-101. He took his time with the ball despite the Lakers having two timeouts.
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After getting a screen from Jake LaRavia, James created an angle and slithered past Antetokounmpo until the Greek reached around James to poke the ball loose from behind.
The costly turnover ended the Lakers' chances and gave them their first clutch loss of the season after starting an NBA-best 13-0 to start the season.
The Lakers were in a position to win because of James after climbing back from being down 12 in the second half, scoring 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter while adding 10 assists and nine rebounds.
After hitting his first two 3s of the game, Dončić couldn't get his shot to fall the rest of the way, totaling eight for 25 from the field with 24 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
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Antetokounmpo and Porter Jr. were the Bucks' top scorers in the contest, with 43 points combined and a number of the rest of the box score. Antetokounmpo had 21 points on nine of 11 shooting with six rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals, while Porter Jr. led the Bucks with 22 points, five assists and four steals.
LaRavia was the only other Laker to score in double figures with 13 points on five of eight (three 3s) shooting.
The Lakers' loss drops them to fifth in the West at 23-13 and 10-7 at home this season.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was a game-time decision against the Bucks but ultimately ended up missing his sixth straight game because of right calf soreness. He's been working on making his return to a Lakers lineup that desperately needs him and there's hope that he can play Monday night in Sacramento.
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