The Milwaukee Bucks are in Los Angeles, and it appears the injury bug that once plagued the shorthanded Lakers may now be catching up to them. Despite holding a 61–52 lead at halftime, the Bucks endured a tense moment earlier in the game. Just as they welcomed Giannis Antetokounmpo back into the lineup, Kevin Porter Jr. suffered a concerning setback—though he would initially try to play through it.

On a night when LeBron James looked well-rested and intent on imposing his will, Porter was eventually forced to check out. He called for a substitution himself, leaving the floor in visible discomfort.

The sequence leading to his exit was striking. As LeBron drove toward the basket, Porter dove in an attempt to poke the ball free. James calmly lifted the ball out of reach, letting Porter’s momentum carry him past the play, before locking eyes with him and finishing the possession with a dunk.

Porter headed straight to the locker room moments later. There was no immediate update on his status, and he was expected to undergo a medical evaluation during halftime. Before exiting, Porter logged roughly 18 minutes, contributing 12 points, four rebounds, and five assists.

The cameras didn’t exactly show what happened to Porter when he slid out of James’ way. We don’t know if he fell, rolled an ankle or got hit.

KPJ has dealt with multiple injury setbacks early in the 2025-26 NBA season, causing him to miss significant time before returning and establishing himself as a key contributor (averaging around 18.4 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game through 19 appearances.

Notably, he suffered a left ankle sprain just minutes into his debut (after a strong start with 10 points in 9 minutes). He stepped on teammate Bobby Portis’ foot during defense, forcing him out early.

Then, while ramping up on-court return-to-play activities, he sustained a torn right knee meniscus. An MRI confirmed the tear, requiring minor orthopedic surgery (performed around November 3, 2025).

The Bucks announced he’d miss approximately four weeks. This compounded the ankle issue and delayed his return significantly (missing roughly 19 games combined from the ankle and knee).

Interestingly, until tip-off, we weren’t even sure if the circumstances on the Lakers’ side would’ve allowed us to see Bron casually break through a defense.

LeBron James almost didn’t play against the Bucks

Before this game, LeBron James had sat out the second of a back-to-back set against the Spurs after emphatically declaring he’s “TBD” for all back-to-backs (the Lakers have two more of those sets this month).

With Austin Reaves out for the rest of this month and the loss to the Spurs, the Lakers couldn’t afford James’ 2026 resolution after turning 41.

He was listed as questionable in yesterday’s injury report. James is suffering from an arthritic foot and persistent complications from sciatica. The final injury update on Friday night updated him to probable.

The Lakers’ offense against Giannis Antetokounmpo (who has shut down the possibility of trades to the Lakers, the Warriors, or any team) was complete. However, the Bucks sought to balance the scales after losing to the Lakers in their November matchup.

During that play, James was being chased by at least three other Bucks defenders. When Kevin Porter Jr. swooped in, Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton simply backed off and stayed where they are.

They watched James protect the ball and go for a dunk without lifting a finger to help. They didn’t need to.

Porter didn’t have much help either, but that didn’t matter. KPJ seemed to pull something when James changed the direction on him. But after that, he was back on the court for the second half.

The Bucks are still leading 68-74 in the third, and the Lakers are playing catch-up. Porter hasn’t added to his stat line except for one assist so far.