Lakers' Frank Vogel: LeBron James 'Definitely Got the Upper Hand' vs. Giannis

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel praised LeBron James for outshining the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo in Friday night's 113-103 victory in a battle of NBA championship contenders.

Vogel isn't sure a single head-to-head meeting is enough to swing the MVP race in James' favor, though.

"LeBron definitely got the upper hand in tonight's matchup," he told reporters. "But it's one game out of 82, and I think that LeBron would tell you himself that that's not really anything that motivates him. It was about beating the Bucks tonight, and we'll let the fans or you nice people talk about MVP comparisons."

James scored a game-high 37 points (12-of-21 shooting) to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals in 37 minutes.

Antetokounmpo recorded 32 points (10-of-21 shooting), 11 boards, six dimes and a steal in 36 minutes.

The Lakers' (48-13) victory moved them within four games of the Bucks (53-10) for the best record in the NBA during the early stages of the regular season's final quarter.

"Just taking the challenge and understanding that if I take the challenge, then the rest of us will take the challenge as well," James said. "It wasn't just me."

His performance did have an impact on the MVP odds, but not nearly enough to make him the front-runner over the Greek Freak, the award's reigning winner.

Antetokounmpo saw his odds drop (-3,000 to -2,000), while James' improved (+1,000 to +700), according to Caesars Palace. But that's still a massive advantage with around 20 games to play for both superstars.

The four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion said Thursday he's more worried about his efforts to become the "best to ever play the game" than adding another MVP trophy to his collection:

That said, LeBron has another opportunity Sunday to make a major statement and potentially close the gap on Giannis when the Lakers battle the rival Los Angeles Clippers, the No. 2 seed in the West.