MILWAUKEE — The stressful trip grew even more trying for the Lakers when two more of their core players weren’t able to play in the last leg of a five-game journey that tested L.A. in many ways.
Steady defensive ace Marcus Smart (viral illness) and the solid Rui Hachimura (left calf soreness) missed the second night of back-to-back games against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Fiserv Form, the two of them sidelined along with LeBron James (right sciatica) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain).
That left it up to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton along with the rest of the Lakers to finish off the eight-day trip the right way and overcome the dominance of Giannis Antetokounmpo.