Player Grades: Lakers vs. Bucks

Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 126-106 loss to the Bucks.

Luka Dončić had his best scoring performance in a Lakers uniform, but it didn’t help the team come out victorious against the Bucks on Thursday.

With a poor finish to the first half and an even worse start to the second half, the Lakers dug themselves into a hole they never got out of and lost their third game in a row. They now have to quickly fly to Denver to complete this back-to-back with a matchup against the Nuggets.

Many injuries currently hamper Los Angeles, with LeBron James out and Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, and Maxi Kleber sent back to LA to continue their injury rehab.

Nevertheless, the marathon continues, and no team will show the Lakers mercy because they’ve been dealing with an injury bug. Before we turn the page and focus on Denver, we must discuss the Milwaukee game.

So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Dorian Finney-Smith

30 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 2-8 FG, 1-5 3PT, -16

This was DFS’ first game back from ankle soreness and it was a dud. He committed far too many fouls, couldn’t really slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo and was awful offensively. He had some nasty bricks and an airball on a 3-pointer in the third quarter during an ugly stretch for the Lakers that sealed their doom on Thursday.

Everyone has bad nights, and this was certainly a rough one for Finney-Smith. He’s usually a great plus-minus player, but tonight, he had the second-worst numbers in that category with a -16.

Grade: D-

Alex Len

19 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1-3 FG, -15

What’s falling faster: the S&P 500 or Alex Len stock? My money would be on Len. He got his second consecutive Lakers start and looked even worse on Thursday than he did on Monday. He missed a couple of easy buckets near the rim, couldn’t stay in front of anyone and had some unforgivable turnovers.

I’m talking about zero pressure, turning the ball over while trying to pass to shooters kind of mistakes. He looks less athletic than a washed Zach Randolph out there. JJ Redick is working with what he has, but sometimes you have nothing to work with.

Grade: F

Gabe Vincent

26 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3-10 FG, 0-5 3PT, -12

October Vincent appeared in this game. In the opening quarter, he missed four wide-open 3-pointers and on the third one, even the road fans groaned in frustration.

Defensively, he didn’t make much of an impact. With so many players out, the Lakers need more from Gabe. We know he’s capable of doing it, but he wasn’t able to execute on Thursday.

Grade: D-

Luka Dončić

36 minutes, 45 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 14-27 FG, 7-13 3PT, 10-12 FT, -16

Luka was hotter than lava offensively for the Lakers. He was attacking the paint, getting foul calls, making his free throws and made several heat check 3-pointers.

With so many players struggling to score, his 45-point performance didn’t help create a win, but there’s little more Luka could’ve done to help this team win. The only negative is that he had six turnovers.

But, again, he was great and it’s a shame his best night as a Lakers ended in a loss.

Grade: A

Austin Reaves

36 minutes, 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-17 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4-4 FT, -6

Reaves struggled to start this one but improved as the game progressed. He drove inside, found his jumper and by the fourth quarter, he looked like he got his groove back.

Losing a third-straight game is a bummer for the Lakers, but the silver lining is that if Reaves is fully back, that will help Los Angeles get out of this rut.

Grade: B

Dalton Knecht

22 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-7 FG, 2-4 3PT, -3

Knecht’s confidence is growing with each game. Known as a spot-up shooter and a player who can finish strong near the rim, he had a couple of nice on-ball moments where he dribbled more than usual and created his own shot.

That’s not typically his role, but it was encouraging to see some of those shots going in. Knecht did his job, and that’s more than most Lakers players can say after this game.

Grade: B+

Christian Koloko

15 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, -1

I’ve been advocating into the abyss that Koloko needed minutes. On Thursday, we finally saw him getting significant time on the court.

Unfortunately, the big man's performance wasn't exactly masterful. He had a nice bucket initially, but after that, he committed some bad fouls, including an awful one on a corner three, and made many defensive mistakes the Lakers can’t tolerate this late in the season.

I still think he’s better than Len, but that’s not saying much.

Grade: D+

Jarred Vanderbilt

15 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT, -14

Vanderbilt was forgettable in this game. His defense didn’t stand out and he had a nice dunk in the second quarter, but that was about it. With the team being shorthanded, his skill set isn’t able to shine as a glue guy and connector, so he just looked like a replacement-level player out there.

Grade: D

Jordan Goodwin

26 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, -17

This was the worst Goodwin game of the season. He couldn’t stop the ball on defense or make a basket on offense. Goodwin has been so good, but he fell in line with his other teammates and produced a dud in Milwaukee.

Grade: D-

Markieff Morris

12 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 0

Morris played all of the fourth since the game was already out of hand at that point. There isn’t much to analyze with this long shift. He took a couple of shots, made some passes and ran out the clock.

Grade: C

Shake Milton

Milton only played for four minutes, so no grade for him in this one. He took two shots and missed them both, and one was blocked, resulting in a turnover.

JJ Redick

Redick lost an early challenge, and starting Len again was not wise. I also didn’t like seeing Luka come in during the fourth quarter when it was clear the Lakers had no chance of winning the game.

Considering that Dončić has had calf issues this season and is dealing with back issues and ankle soreness, I can’t comprehend what having him play with Morris in the fourth was going to accomplish. Luckily, he didn’t get hurt, and Luka finally sat down with 4:06 left in the game.

Grade: C

Thursday’s DNPs: Cam Reddish

Thursday’s inactive: Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, LeBron James, Trey Jemison III

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.