Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is currently top-3 in the NBA MVP’s voting, and despite taking a beating against the Thunder a game ago, they have a chance to put this behind them against the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks, now 8–5, welcome the 9–4 Los Angeles Lakers to Fiserv Forum tonight in what should be one of the more intriguing early-season matchups. Both teams have gotten off to strong starts, but each enters with its own distinct identity and momentum.
Milwaukee has thrived thanks to an efficient, high-powered offense that averages 120.2 points per game, placing them among the league’s top scoring units. Their defense holds opponents to 115.9 points, giving them a solid balance on both ends.
Combine that with their strong play on their home floor, and the Bucks have been a reliable team when playing in front of their crowd. The Lakers, despite owning the slightly better record at 9–4, approach games very differently.
They put up 116.1 points per night, a bit lower than Milwaukee, and surrender 118.8 points on defense. When they’re on the road, Los Angeles typically slows things down, leaning more on disciplined defense and a more methodical offensive rhythm.
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Is Luka Doncic Playing Tonight Against the Lakers?
Luka Doncic will suit up on Saturday November 15th despite being on the back-end of a back-to-back. The concerning part about this game for Luka Doncic and the Lakers is the fact that Los Angeles is on the 5th and final game of their road-trip.
This is their 5th game in 8 days which is concerning seeing that this road trip went from Atlanta to Charlotte to Oklahoma City to New Orleans and finally to Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is probable with a left knee injury.
- Taurean Prince is out following neck surgery.
- Kevin Porter Jr. is out due to right knee surgery.
Los Angeles Lakers Injury Report
- LeBron James is out due to sciatica, but has started practicing with the Lakers G-League tea,
- Gabe Vincent is also out with an ankle injury.
Lakers Players Stats
- Luka Doncic Stats: GP 9, PTS 33.7, REB 8.9, AST 9.2, BLK 0.4
- Austin Reaves Stats: GP 10, PTS 28.6, REB 5.0, AST 8.2, BLK 0.1
- Jake LaRavia Stats: GP 13, PTS 10.7, REB 4.4, AST 2.5, BLK 0.3
- Rui Hachimura Stats: GP 13, PTS 15.8, REB 3.8, AST 1.2, BLK 0.2
- Deandre Ayton Stats: GP 12, PTS 15.9, REB 8.3, AST 1.0, BLK 0.9
Milwaukee Bucks Players Stats
- Giannis Antetokounmpo Stats: GP 11, PTS 32.6, REB 11.5, AST 7.3, BLK 1.3
- Kyle Kuzma Stats: GP 12, PTS 14.6, REB 4.7, AST 1.8, BLK 0.7
- Cole Anthony Stats: GP 12, PTS 9.9, REB 3.3, AST 4.8, BLK 0.4
- Myles Turner Stats: GP 13, PTS 12.8, REB 6.1, AST 1.9, BLK 1.8
- Ryan Rollins Stats: GP 13, PTS 17.5, REB 4.0, AST 5.5, BLK 0.2
Lakers vs Bucks Preview
The concerning part for Luka Doncic in this game is his fall from his “other-worldly pace” that he was on in the early portion of the season. On this road trip, he’s averaging 25.8 points on 32.5% from three and 42% from the field.
While this is a smaller sample size as well as having two blowouts in there, the shooting percentages is where the real concern comes in, but Doncic should be able to return to form if not in this game, once they get two days of rest after heading home.
Milwaukee continues to rely heavily on Giannis Antetokounmpo to power their offense, and he’s producing at an MVP level with 32.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He’s getting steady help from Ryan Rollins and Myles Turner, who provide valuable contributions on both ends.
Los Angeles runs its entire attack through Luka Dončić, who is putting up an incredible 33.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per night. Austin Reaves has emerged as a strong secondary option, averaging 28.6 points and 8.2 assists, while Deandre Ayton offers reliable interior scoring by converting nearly 69% of his field-goal attempts.
In terms of injuries, the Lakers are still without LeBron James due to a sciatica issue and will also miss Gabe Vincent because of an ankle injury. The Bucks won’t have Kevin Porter Jr. or Taurean Prince available.
The Lakers come into this matchup riding momentum after a dominant performance in their last game. Meanwhile, Milwaukee narrowly avoided a loss in an overtime battle the previous night.
