LOS ANGELES — For three quarters, the Lakers looked to Luka Doncic to get them back to winning. Teammate LeBron James was having a quiet night, one day after sitting out because of sciatica management and arthritis in his foot, and the rest of the team was equally silent.

Then the fourth quarter began. James started firing, Dalton Knecht got involved and their defense kicked but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Milwaukee Bucks, 105-101, on Friday at Crypto.com Arena.

It was the Lakers’ (23-13) first clutch and first single-digit loss of the season.

A late foul on a 3-pointer and a turnover by James under the basket undid the good the Lakers saw in the final quarter. The Lakers were down by eight heading into the fourth quarter but turned it around behind the tandem of James and Doncic.

Doncic scored 24 points, had nine rebounds and nine assists before fouling out. James scored 13 of his team-high 26 points in the second half and had nine rebounds and 10 assists, while Jake LaRavia added 13 points.

The Lakers were playing their fourth game this week and the fatigue showed through the first three quarters. They made a push in the fourth, cutting an 82-74 deficit to 88-84 on baskets by James and Knecht, whose running layup turned the game into a two-point contest with 8:27 left in the game.

James tied the score at 90-90 on 14-foot fadeaway jumper and then drove to the basket to give the Lakers the lead at the 6:02 mark. Doncic added a 7-foot floater for a 94-90 lead.

But the Bucks weren’t going to let the Lakers off that easily and tied the score at 94-94. James followed by making both free throws to regain a 96-94 lead.

Milwaukee couldn’t get a shot off on its next possession and the Lakers responded with another basket by James.

The Lakers needed center Deandre Ayton to bounce back from his lackluster performance in his last game (9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block) if the team had a chance to slow Antetokounmpo, who finished with 21 points.

“It all starts with him and that starts with him in transition,” Redick said of the Bucks All-Star forward.

Antetokounmpo averages 5.4 points a game in transition but he’s best in the paint, where he is averaging 20.4 points. Keeping him away from the basket proved difficult for not only Ayton but the Lakers as a whole no matter where the 6-11 forward lined up.

The Bucks pulled away in the first half with a 12-6 run capped by a putback dunk by Antetokounmpo with 1:13 left to take a 61-52 lead into intermission. The Bucks led by as many as 12 in the opening half.