In what has become a common theme for the Lakers, they followed up one of their worst performances of the season with a great one as they picked up a huge win over the Bucks, 123-122.

With LeBron James out, the Lakers had to establish a next-man-up mentality if they wanted to grab a much-needed win on Friday. The big three of Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves answered the call.

No one, though, was bigger than Russell. D’Lo was once again on fire from the three, tying his career high with nine 3-pointers to finish with 44 points, his most points as a Laker in either stint.

AD scored 22 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Austin had seven assists to go with his 18 points.

The Lakers started the game looking like they were still low on energy from the Kings game. After the pace settled and the Bucks looked to be controlling it, AD started taking over and tied the game.

As the quarter wound down, the Bucks missed a few shots and that helped the Lakers keep it close. A costly turnover by D’Lo led to an easy dunk by Bobby Portis for a six-point Bucks lead. D’Lo made up for it with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three at the end of the first.

"Right down Main Street" https://t.co/IVlOBy5KTI pic.twitter.com/asTA3o4peg

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 9, 2024

The second quarter started with D’Lo controlling everything for LA, including making two more threes and an incredible pass to Jaxson Hayes for a dunk. LA was able to stop the Bucks from gaining any momentum while AD was getting his usual rest.

A 7-2 scoring run had the Lakers leading by six points with five minutes left in the half. The Lakers’ energy was skyrocketing and they had gotten their lead up to as much as eight. After a lackluster start by Damian Lillard, he started heating up to help the Bucks gain some momentum, but the Lakers kept the lead, which was 67-63 at halftime.

That DLo-to-AD connection 👀 pic.twitter.com/YVAyBWJOk8

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 9, 2024

The second half started sloppy, but the offense was flowing for both teams. The Lakers began to control all the energy and their team effort was infectious. A pair of blocks by AD on Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the same possession had the arena going crazy. Even with the Lakers controlling the pace, the Bucks continued to stick around, not letting the Lakers take over the game.

An eight-point surge by Taurean Prince was a welcome sight for LA, which has needed him to find some consistency for their bench production. A three by D’Lo and a steal leading to a layup by Austin extended the Lakers lead to six by the end of the quarter, 96-90.

The final twelve minutes started with the Bucks gaining momentum and the Lakers missing a few of their shots. AD was clearly in pain, favoring his left shoulder after some contact from Giannis in the third quarter but he was toughing it out.

The Bucks tied the game with seven minutes left, but the Lakers answered back for a five-point lead, led by D’Lo who was using his superpowers to take control of the game. The Bucks would not give up, making the Lakers have to fight to keep their very tiny lead of one.

The final two minutes started with a sudden momentum shift for the Bucks and a four-point play by Dame to put the Bucks up by six. A pair of threes from Rui and D’Lo gave the Lakers a much-needed spark to help them stay within reach as the quarter came to a close.

The game entered nervous time with D’Lo converting an and-one to make it a one-point game with under a minute to go. He then gave the Lakers the lead with 5.9 seconds left in the game on a floater after the Lakers got a stop on the other end.

Key Takeaways:

A D’Angelo Russell masterclass and an epic Spencer Dinwiddie block. That is all.

Another slow start tonight, but this time they get a pass because they were able to keep the energy and effort at a high all game, even with a surge by the Bucks late.

The Lakers have done well with grabbing wins on nights when LeBron is out. The next-man-up mentality has been great.

The Lakers’ next game is on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 6:30 PM PT.