First, LeBron James was ruled out with an ankle injury before the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers arrived at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday evening.

The Bucks then grabbed 19-point leads in both the first and fourth quarters.

 

It did not appear that a double-overtime, back-and-forth thriller was in the works. However, the Lakers overcame those deficits to win 128-124.\

Aside from blowing a 94-75 lead in the final 8 minutes and 25 seconds of regulation, the Bucks led 117-115 with 3.6 seconds remaining in the first overtime. However, they were called for a foul, and with 3.1 seconds remaining, D’Angelo Russell knotted the game at 117. Anthony Davis stopped Damian Lillard’s game-winning layup attempt.

 

With 1:21 remaining in the second overtime, the Bucks led 121-119, but they were called for a foul, and Spencer Dinwiddie knotted the game with two free throws with 1:17 left. After Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a tough fadeaway over Davis off the front of the rim, the Bucks defense lost Austin Reaves, who drained a set, wide-open three-pointer to give the Lakers a 124-121 advantage.

After Lillard missed a three-pointer and Antetokounmpo missed two free throws, Russell made two more for a 126-124 advantage. Davis made two more free throws for the final margin.

 

Free throw difference favors the Lakers.
On the night, the Bucks were called for 26 personal fouls, while the Lakers received 13. Davis was not called for his first personal foul until the 50th minute of the game, during the second OT. The Bucks attempted 17 free throws as a team.

 

Lillard fouled out after scoring 27 points on 9 of 29 shots, including 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. Khris Middleton committed five fouls while scoring 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting and dishing out seven assists.

 

Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 29 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists. He also recorded three blocks, two steals, and seven turnovers.

Milwaukee’s Malik Beasley scored 21 points, while Bobby Portis added 18 off the bench.

Davis played 52 of a possible 58 minutes and scored 34 points on 12 of 31 shots. He also grabbed 23 rebounds and shot 7-for-7 from the from throw line. Reaves recorded 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Russell scored 29 points and shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line. He also tallied 12 assists.

 

Fourth quarter slows down Bucks.
For roughly 46 minutes, it never felt like the Bucks were going to lose control of the game. The Bucks led by as many as 19 points in the opening quarter, but the Lakers would eventually cut it to as low as six or seven in the second and third quarters.

Nonetheless, the Bucks would reply with a key bucket and stops, quickly extending their advantage to double figures. So, even though the Lakers were in the game, they never felt like they were about to win it.

Until the Bucks aided them with a frantic sequence of fourth-quarter possessions after building a 94-75 lead at the 8-minute, 25-second mark.

Los Angeles proceeded on a lengthy 16-2 run that saw Antetokounmpo turn it over three times, but with a Beasley bucket and a three-pointer by Middleton making it 101-93 with 3:08 remaining, it appeared that they had once again stemmed the tide.

But the Bucks didn’t score again, slipping into the trap of isolation basketball and failing to move the ball. Antetokounmpo (0-for-3), Middleton (0-for-3), and Lillard (0-for-1) all missed shots down the stretch, with few of them being clean looks.

This allowed the Lakers to outscore them 27-13 and finally tie the game, forcing it into overtime.

Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers defends Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum.
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The first quarter is how the Bucks want to play.
The Bucks turned the game around against Oklahoma City in the third quarter, forcing the Thunder to miss 13 consecutive field goals to start the quarter. Against Los Angeles, the Bucks set the tone from the start.

The Lakers missed their first five shots, then nine of ten, 13 of fifteen, and 15 of 19.

Milwaukee, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s six defensive rebounds, cleared the glass and built a 29-10 advantage during the first nine minutes of the quarter.

The Lakers never gave up and eventually forced overtime, so they needed every bit of the lead.

Malik Beasley makes a significant impact as a Bucks shooting guard. Malik Beasley helped force overtime by blocking D’Angelo Russell’s shot with 13.2 seconds remaining in regulation. Doc Rivers then contested the initial verdict that the ball went off the Bucks, giving Milwaukee the opportunity to win the game at the conclusion of regular.

Then, in overtime, Beasley made two three-pointers, including a game-tying triple with 1:28 left to help the Bucks force a second overtime session.