MILWAUKEE — They handed him cigars, gave him giant hugs and greeted him with smiles.
Good luck walking the back hallways of Fiserv Forum looking for someone to say something bad about Lakers coach Darvin Ham, because here, where he won a championship as an assistant on coach Mike Budenholzer’s staff, he’s beloved.
He even got a quick scoreboard tribute and a nice applause from the fans.
Everything but an easy win.
The Lakers had to earn that.
With Anthony Davis (44 points, 10 rebounds), LeBron James (28 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (15 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds) all having excellent games, the Lakers beat the Bucks 133-129 in Ham’s return to Milwaukee — easily the best win for the Lakers this season.
For Davis, it was the most he’s scored since Jan. 3, 2020, when he had 46.
The Bucks, who got All-Star forward Khris Middleton back for the first time since April, were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 40 points. Jrue Holiday added 28 points while Middleton had 17.
The game had nearly everything — stars making huge plays, role players stepping up and tremendous back-and-forth play down the stretch with Grayson Allen and Holiday both missing game-tying 3-point attempts in the final 30 seconds.
There was even some history, with James moving past Magic Johnson for sixth all time on the career assists list in the fourth quarter.
James and the Lakers suffered a bit of a scare early in the fourth quarter when James got tangled with Middleton on the block. As they awkwardly fell, Middleton’s knee pressed into James’ oft-rolled left ankle and forced him to quickly grab at it in pain. He stayed on the court and was able to limp to the bench during a timeout before staying the game.
The Lakers continue their road trip Sunday in Washington against the Wizards.
