Lakers-Bucks recap: LeBron’s season-high 34, clutch 3 gets 8th straight road win

It took a season-high 34 points and a clutch 3-pointer from LeBron James, as well as some other huge plays from the Lakers supporting cast, to close out the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night as the Los Angeles Lakers, added to their perfect road start to the 2020-21 season, improving to 8-0 on the road this season with a 113-106 win over the Bucks.

In addition to LeBron’s huge night, which was incredibly the first game this season he has scored over 30 points, the Lakers got some huge contributions from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had 23 points, as well as a rare clutch 3-pointer from Alex Caruso, who has improved his 3-point shot greatly this season. However, none of them could steal the show from James, who effectively put the game away with this 3-pointer over Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez, complete with LeBron’s signature look-down before the shot.

James was special and the Lakers continue to be special on the road. But I think LeBron’s performance deserves a little more examination.

Another MVP statement by Bron

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LeBron once again proved that he deserves to be at the top of any NBA MVP discussion through the first month of the season. While Thursday was his first 30-point game, that doesn't accurately convey all he has done for the Lakers and how much influence he has had in them being the best team in the league. As Frank Vogel reminded folks following Monday's loss to the Warriors, James has played in every game this season despite dealing with a sore ankle that he's tweaked more than a few times this season. To say nothing of where he ranks compared to other players of his experience, it's nights like tonight, where he completely outplayed the league's two-time MVP, that makes you believe he's destined to win MVP No. 5 this season.

Alex Caruso can shoot now?

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We're now 16 games through the season which in this compressed schedule accounts for 22% of the games that will be played. And through this significant portion of the season, Lakers guard Alex Caruso is showing that he can be more than just a defensive stalwart and transition option. Including tonight's crucial 3-pointer to put the Lakers up by seven with 1:40 left, Caruso is shooting a ridiculous 57% from the 3-point line. Caruso has usually made up for his lack of outside shooting by cutting off the ball and driving to the rim with his athleticism, but if he can consistently shoot 3s even remotely close to the way he's started the season, that adds yet another scary to dimension to an already scary Lakers group.