Under the bright lights of Crypto.com Arena on Friday night, a game that swung wildly in the fourth quarter came down to two plays from one superstar. Giannis Antetokounmpo denied LeBron James at the rim and then stripped him from behind in the final minute, power moments that turned a near-collapse into a 105-101 Milwaukee Bucks win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Milwaukee nearly let a double-digit cushion vanish for good during a furious Lakers surge, but the Bucks showed late-game poise. Kevin Porter Jr. matched Antetokounmpo’s defensive stand with cool offense, knocking down four free throws in the last minute to break a tie and then ice it with two seconds left. The Bucks leave L.A. with their fifth win in seven games — and their first over a team with a winning record since December 11.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s winning time: two stops on LeBron

With the score tight and the crowd roaring, Antetokounmpo stepped into the spotlight. First, he met James at the rim, erasing a driving layup. On the next crucial possession, as James tried to create again, Antetokounmpo reached in from behind and poked the ball free with just two seconds to play. Those back-to-back plays were the difference.

Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points — his lowest since returning from a right calf strain — and played under a minutes restriction as the team eases him back. But when it mattered, he controlled the game with defense and timing. It’s exactly the kind of closing sequence that wins playoff games in May, and it arrived here in January when Milwaukee needed it most.

“That’s the MVP version of Giannis: two stops, no doubts, ballgame.”

Kevin Porter Jr. finishes the job at the line

Porter Jr. led Milwaukee with 22 points and supplied the calm the Bucks needed. He drove for a layup to tie the game with two minutes left, then with 39 seconds on the clock, he buried two free throws to nudge the Bucks in front for good. After Antetokounmpo’s strip of James, Porter added two more freebies with two seconds left to seal it.

There was another massive swing: Luka Doncic fouled out on Porter’s 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds remaining. That moment took one of the Lakers’ best playmakers off the floor right when they needed a clean look to tie. For a game defined by razor-thin margins, those whistles and makes were huge.

LeBron leads the rally, but the Lakers fall short

James finished with 26 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds. He captained a fourth-quarter charge that opened with a 17–4 run, flipping a double-digit deficit and putting the Lakers on the front foot. At 6:02 left, he even ripped the ball from Antetokounmpo and took it the other way for a go-ahead layup, a classic LeBron momentum swing.

But late offense grew tough. Turnovers, misses, and two elite defensive stops by Antetokounmpo stalled the comeback. The Lakers have now dropped six of their last ten, and they remain shorthanded. Starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were still out, with head coach JJ Redick noting Hachimura (calf) might return early next week after a six-game absence.

“LeBron did everything but clone himself. Without Reaves and Rui, the margin for error is tiny.”

Luka Doncic’s cold night looms large

Doncic delivered 24 points and 9 assists, but he struggled from the field, shooting 8-of-25. It was his lowest-scoring output since Christmas, and the last-minute foul that sent him to the bench hurt the Lakers’ late-game options. With Doncic out, James had to shoulder even more shot creation, and the Bucks could lock in on him.

On a night where every possession mattered, those misses and that sixth foul were heavy. The Lakers created the run they needed, but the final shot-making tilted Milwaukee’s way.

Milwaukee’s form and the search for consistency

The Bucks had been chasing a quality win. This was their fifth victory in seven games and their first over a team with a winning record since December 11. That stat matters. It suggests Milwaukee is starting to steady after a choppy stretch and is learning how to finish tight games on the road against top competition.

Just days earlier, the Bucks fell 120-113 to the Warriors despite shooting 54.1% from the field. They took only 12 free throws in that loss, making a season-low seven. Against the Lakers, they earned and converted the late freebies that count the most. Porter was the closer. Antetokounmpo was the shield.

“This is the blueprint: Giannis sets the tone, Porter cleans it up at the stripe.”

Series notes and recent context

Earlier this season, on November 15 in Milwaukee, the Lakers routed the Bucks 119-95 behind 41 from Doncic and 25 from Reaves. James and Hachimura did not play that night. Antetokounmpo still posted 32 and 10, but the Lakers controlled it. Friday in Los Angeles flipped that script: tight, physical, and decided in the final minute by defense and free throws.

Recent form told two different stories. The Lakers were coming off a 107-91 loss in San Antonio, their second-lowest scoring game of the season, shooting 39.5% from the field and 23.1% from three with 17 turnovers. The Bucks, despite the Warriors loss, have quietly stacked wins and now have a statement road result to point to.

Box score snapshot and scoring by quarter

• Final: Bucks 105, Lakers 101
• Quarter scores (MIL–LAL): 24–25, 37–27, 25–25, 19–24
• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 21 points (lowest since calf return), plus two game-saving stops in the last minute
• Kevin Porter Jr.: 22 points; four free throws in the final minute (two at 0:39 to break a tie, two at 0:02 to seal it)
• LeBron James: 26 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds; go-ahead steal-and-layup at 6:02 of the fourth
• Luka Doncic: 24 points, 9 assists on 8-of-25 shooting; fouled out on a Porter 3-point attempt with 16.2 seconds left

What it means

For Milwaukee, this is the kind of road win that can calm nerves in a long season. They beat a winning team, overcame a late surge, and trusted their stars to finish. Antetokounmpo is still finding rhythm post-injury, but his timing in the clutch looked perfect. Porter’s poise was a bonus and a blueprint.

For the Lakers, the effort was there. The fourth-quarter push was real. But without Reaves and Hachimura, and with Doncic off the floor at the end, they lacked one more scorer to match the Bucks’ last punches. If Hachimura returns early next week, the rotation should settle and the late-game options should grow.

January wins do not decide June. But they can tell you who knows how to finish. On Friday in Los Angeles, the Bucks found that answer on one side of the ball — and won because of it.