LOS ANGELES — The victory was there for the Lakers to take.

They were matching the defending NBA champs point for point and didn’t collapse in the third quarter, as had been their custom this season.

But their three-point touch abandoned them in a big way and they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-102, Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Things were fine for the Lakers until they weren’t — as in, they missed their last 14 three-point attempts, including 0-for-11 in the fourth quarter.

It’s almost impossible to win if that happens, whether varsity, college or pro level.

It didn’t help that Giannis Antetokounmpo blitzed them for 47 points on a blistering 18-for-23 shooting. Not known as a deep shooter, he made three of four three-point attempts Wednesday.

“Everyone against the Lakers make their threes,” Anthony Davis said with a rueful smile.

The Lakers fell to 8-8 but there were signs of awakening in the first stop of a five-game road trip.

Russell Westbrook had 19 points and 15 assists with only three turnovers in what Coach Frank Vogel called “his best game as a Laker.”

Talen Horton-Tucker continued his strong start, scoring 25 points in only his third game back from thumb surgery.

There might also be help on the way. LeBron James reportedly could return Friday against Boston after missing an eighth consecutive game Wednesday because of an abdominal strain.

“We’ve just got to continue to fight until we get everybody back,” Davis said. “We played a pretty good game tonight.”

There were some head-scratching moments, to be sure.

Davis had 18 points but failed to earn any free throws despite some obvious contact on certain plays, including a fast-break dunk in the second half.

“AD getting zero free-throw attempts is something that’s a little mind-boggling and we’ll continue to communicate with the league on that,” Vogel said.

The Lakers’ misses behind the arc were also mind-numbing. LA controlled the third quarter and trailed by only two going into the fourth. Then they went cold.

In the fourth quarter alone, Malik Monk missed all three of his three-point shots while Horton-Tucker and Carmelo Anthony were each 0-for-2. Wayne Ellington also struggled, missing his last three shots behind the arc.

“I’ve got to hit a couple more threes,” Monk told Spectrum SportsNet. “Can’t keep going one for seven. If we hit a couple more shots, we’ll be all right.”