Giannis, Bucks Rally Past Lakers to Stretch Win Streak to 9 Games

• The Milwaukee Bucks continued their unbeaten run in Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers
• New scoring king LeBron James did not play against the Bucks as he rested his sore left ankle and foot
• The Lakers’ new acquisitions were on the bench but they did not see action against the red-hot Bucks

There is just no stopping the Milwaukee Bucks right now.

They extended their winning streak to nine games with a 115-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his fine play, registering a double-double for the Bucks, who moved to within a game of the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Antetokounmpo scored 38 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out six assists in 36 minutes of action. He did not do it all by himself, as three other Milwaukee starters also scored in double figures.

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Khris Middleton recorded 22 points, five rebounds and three assists in the win against LA. Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen also played well, chipping in 18 and 12 points respectively.

Ankle injury sidelines LeBron

However, the win did not come easy for the Bucks, who got off to a very poor start. They trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half against a Lakers team that was missing the services of LeBron James.

The newly-crowned scoring king sat out to rest his sore left foot and ankle, per Yahoo! Sports.

The Lakers, who only had nine players after their flurry of trades in the past couple of days, played some inspired basketball in front of a packed crowd at Crypto.com Arena.

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They entered the half-time break with a 58-50 lead, but that advantage soon evaporated in the second half with Antetokounmpo carrying the scoring cudgels for the Bucks.

Giannis erupts in second half

Giannis scored 23 of his 38 points in the third and fourth quarters to help Milwaukee record the comeback win.

It was another disappointing defeat for the Lakers, who have now lost their last three games.

Help is on the way for the reeling team with new additions D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mo Bamba and Davon Reed set to play in the coming games.

The former three sat on the bench to watch Los Angeles’ game against Milwaukee.

Coach, Darvin Ham told reporters that he is hoping all five newcomers are available for their next game on Saturday.

LeBron gets help via trades

Sports Brief recently reported on the winners of the trade deadline. The Lakers got plaudits for their recent deals, with Russell and Beasley set to improve the team's perimeter shooting.

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Bamba and Vanderbilt are solid additions as well, with the two players expected to deliver quality minutes in the Lakers on the frontcourt.

Some believe the new-look Lakers are now poised to make a late-season surge but time will tell if their plans work out.