The Los Angeles Lakers made a huge statement to the rest of the basketball world on Friday.
Facing Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that won the NBA championship less than 18 months ago, the Lakers brought their A game and delivered a 133-129 victory to start their six-game road trip.
Los Angeles led by as many as 14 in the second quarter, only to see the Bucks make things competitive in the third quarter. But LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company kept the pressure on throughout with numerous big shots and plays.
Milwaukee came in ranked second in points in the paint allowed and first in defensive rating. However, the Lakers shot 53.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point range, to go along with 70 points in the paint.
The Bucks had been allowing opponents to just 44.9 points in the paint per game.