Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 126-106 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Lakers were led by Luka Dončić, who matched his season-high with 45 points on 51.9% shooting, including seven three-pointers. The five-time All-Star also became just the third player in Lakers history to record 45 points, 10 rebounds, and five threes in a single game, joining Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (via NBA).
Reaves, who recently returned from a strained calf that sidelined him for two games, has struggled since his comeback but found his rhythm against Milwaukee. The former undrafted guard from Oklahoma put up 28 points on 58.8% shooting, marking the first time he surpassed his season average of 18.8 points per game since Feb. 27.
After the loss, Reaves addressed the team’s struggles and what they need to focus on moving forward:
“Nobody feels sorry for us. Everybody’s gonna want to beat us by 30, so we gotta figure out a way to not let that happen and go compete and win games,” Reaves said. “We don’t really have room for error. We just gotta go play really good basketball games, and we just haven’t done that the last two or so games.”
Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 126-106 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Lakers were led by Luka Dončić, who matched his season-high with 45 points on 51.9% shooting, including seven three-pointers. The five-time All-Star also became just the third player in Lakers history to record 45 points, 10 rebounds, and five threes in a single game, joining Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (via NBA).
Reaves, who recently returned from a strained calf that sidelined him for two games, has struggled since his comeback but found his rhythm against Milwaukee. The former undrafted guard from Oklahoma put up 28 points on 58.8% shooting, marking the first time he surpassed his season average of 18.8 points per game since Feb. 27.
After the loss, Reaves addressed the team’s struggles and what they need to focus on moving forward:
“Nobody feels sorry for us. Everybody’s gonna want to beat us by 30, so we gotta figure out a way to not let that happen and go compete and win games,” Reaves said. “We don’t really have room for error. We just gotta go play really good basketball games, gand we just haven’t done that the last two or so games.”
Reaves has been having a breakout season, setting career highs in points (18.8), assists (5.9), and rebounds (4.3). The Arkansas native has taken on an increased role in scoring and playmaking, especially when Dončić and James are off the floor.
This loss marks the third consecutive defeat for the Lakers following an eight-game winning streak. LA continues to deal with injury setbacks, with three starters—LeBron James (left groin strain), Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion), and Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy)—missing this matchup.
As injuries pile up, the Lakers have slipped in the Western Conference standings. Once holding the second seed, they are now tied for fourth with the Houston Rockets but remain just one game behind the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies for the second spot.
has been having a breakout season, setting career highs in points (18.8), assists (5.9), and rebounds (4.3). The Arkansas native has taken on an increased role in scoring and playmaking, especially when Dončić and James are off the floor.
Austin Reaves speaks about the spot the Lakers find themselves in, losers of three in a row, down three starters, and beginning a stretch of six games in eight days 0-1 after a blowout to the Bucks: “JJ [Redick] said when he walked in, ‘Everything was good a week ago’” pic.twitter.com/OTAf8A23l1
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 14, 2025
This loss marks the third consecutive defeat for the Lakers following an eight-game winning streak. LA continues to deal with injury setbacks, with three starters—LeBron James (left groin strain), Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion), and Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy)—missing this matchup.
As injuries pile up, the Lakers have slipped in the Western Conference standings. Once holding the second seed, they are now tied for fourth with the Houston Rockets but remain just one game behind the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies for the second spot.
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