Despite multiple historical performances, Milwaukee Bucks lose to Los Angeles Lakers

After being blown out in their previous outing against the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors came out and did the same to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Looking to make it a pattern, the Bucks visited the Los Angeles Lakers, who were shorthanded with LeBron James out of the lineup. Milwaukee had an opportunity to bounce back with a win, but many of the issues that plagued them in that loss to Golden State returned in this one, making this a game that came down to the final seconds, literally.

Trailing 123-122 with seconds to go, Damian Lillard took a step-back jumper inside the arc, which was blocked by Spencer Dinwiddie, sending the Bucks to the locker room with their second straight loss. After winning six straight to kick off the All-Star break, Milwaukee has now lost two consecutive, and a lot of their past issues have resurfaced.

Despite multiple historical performances, Milwaukee Bucks lose to Los Angeles Lakers

Although his last shot getting blocked will make the most headlines, Lillard was on the positive side of history in this game in other regards.

First off, he passed Reggie Miller for fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Obviously, a significant portion of those triples did not come as a member of the Bucks, but it's still welcoming to witness the team's starting point guard continue to etch his name in the history books.

Lillard did not stop there, as he was one half of the first duo since the ABA-NBA merger to both drop at least 25 points and 12 assists in the same contest, per Opta Stats. He finished with 28 points and 12 assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 14 boards, notching yet another triple-double.

Despite these historical feats, the Milwaukee Bucks could not avoid defeat.

They largely have D'Angelo Russell to blame, as he was a man possessed in this one from beginning to end. The guard scored 44 points and dished nine assists, disrupting every single tactic the Bucks threw at him defensively. He was particularly good from three, shooting 9-of-12 from distance, but it was his game-winning floater inside the arc that sealed the deal.

Not only did the Bucks not have an answer for him, but Anthony Davis (22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists) and Austin Reaves (18 points and seven assists) also gave them trouble.

Outside of a few quality stops, Milwaukee's defense felt out of whack in this one. There was plenty of miscommunication on display, with the Lakers getting great look after great look consistently. When they are shooting 47.1 percent from three, you cannot give up these great looks. Whenever things started looking good for Milwaukee, it felt like the Lakers would sink another triple.

This was a similar issue that Milwaukee had against Golden State, showing that even if they looked like an improved defensive team in their first six games following the All-Star break, they still have work to do, and they need to do it fast.

Pat Connaughton deserves some flowers for an impressive stat line of 17 points and six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from deep. He was big for Milwaukee, giving them a spark off of the bench that they needed to have a chance in this game. The guard has been playing much better as of late than he had been early in the season, and hopefully he can continue after this performance.

Ultimately, these past two games have been ugly. There's no doubt that the Bucks have taken a step back lately, and things will not get easier with a tough schedule ahead. Now, Khris Middleton's return will be a hot topic of conversation as everyone is anxiously awaiting his return. There's no doubt he could help this team now.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.