Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a 126-106 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night at Fiserv Forum. Superstar guard Luka Doncic led LA, matching his season-high with 45 points while shooting 51.9% and making seven three-pointers. The five-time All-Star also became the third player in Lakers history to achieve 45 points, 10 rebounds, and five threes in a game, joining Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (via NBA). Reaves, who had previously missed two games due to a strained calf, had struggled since his return but delivered a strong performance against Milwaukee. The former undrafted Oklahoma guard scored 28 points on 58.8% shooting, surpassing his season average of 18.8 points for the first time since Feb. 27.

After the loss, Reaves addressed the media regarding the Lakers’ current situation and what they need to focus on moving forward.

“Nobody feels sorry for us; everyone wants to beat us by 30, so we have to find a way to prevent that, compete, and win games,” Reaves stated. “We don’t have room for error; we just need to play really good basketball, and we haven’t done that in the last couple of games.” Reaves commented on the Lakers’ struggles, as they have now lost three straight games while missing three starters and starting a demanding stretch of six games in eight days with a 0-1 record following the blowout loss to the Bucks. “JJ [Redick] said when he walked in, ‘Everything was good a week ago,’” Reaves added. The Arkansas native is having a breakout season, recording career-high averages of 18.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. He is expected to handle much of the scoring and playmaking whenever Doncic and James are not on the court.

This loss marks the third consecutive defeat for the Lakers following an eight-game winning streak. Injuries remain a concern, with three starters—James (left groin strain), Jaxson Hayes (right knee contusion), and Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy)—sidelined. As injuries continue to impact the team, the Lakers have been slipping in the standings. Once ranked second in the Western Conference, they are now tied for fourth with the Houston Rockets. However, they remain just one game behind both the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies for the second

seed.