Giannis Antetokounmpo scooped up a loose ball and jammed it home for an and-one to draw the Milwaukee Bucks within 2 with 15.3 seconds to go Saturday night against the Magic, 111-109.
The Bucks forced a turnover on the next play to set up a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer. Alas, Damian Lillard’s stepback heave smacked off the backboard and Milwaukee fell to 36-26 on the season.
Just about any time you can get the ball in Dame’s hands in crunch time, you feel good about it regardless of outcome. Giannis told reporters he felt the same way, but he also floated an alternative play, featuring himself, that the Bucks could have run instead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Has No Issue with Damian Lillard’s Buzzer Brick
After Orlando coughed it up, Doc Rivers called a timeout with 6.6 seconds left. Lillard took the in-bounds pass and went to work on Franz Wagner, eventually stepping back to hoist from deep with Paulo Banchero helping off his man to put a hand in Lillard’s face.
Giannis drifted down to the post and stayed there for the duration of the play, getting in position for a rebound that didn’t come his way.
Long story short, it ended up being an iso-ball possession that yielded a clunker.
Asked about the play, Antetokounmpo was thoughtful in his response. “Yeah, you know, in that situation, you got to go to the guy that has been closing out games for us, that’s been doing this for a while….I’m cool with one of the best closers in the game taking that shot. We all have to live with it.”
Lillard finished the game with 26 points in 9-18 from the floor, including a three moments earlier that halved Orlando’s lead at the 1:09 mark.
Despite his reputation and patented Dame Time moniker, this season he has not produced in the clutch as he historically has. Third last year in clutch scoring, defined as total points scored in the last five minutes of a game within 5 points, Lillard is tied for 34th this season at 58 points in 90.8 minutes of action.
In 2023-24, he scored 139 in 137.8 minutes of total clutch time.
Indisputably the team’s best shot creator, he is still the top option in many late game scenarios. But would a different play have worked better against Orlando?
Two Great Options To Choose From
The final play opened somewhat awkwardly atop the key, with Giannis moving in Lillard’s direction as if to set a screen before retreating to the paint when Dame did not come near.
Asked whether a pick was an intended part of the play, Antetokounmpo said he changed course after Wagner jumped the play and fronted Dame when he took the inbound. “I already did my job, so Dame had that separation that he needed. I tried to read the play and get out of his way so he could operate. That’s pretty much it. I think it was a clean, clean shot. I thought the ball was going in. Great look.”
Certainly Bucks and Blazers fans have seen Lillard hit contested long-range stepbacks many times before. Though it failed to draw iron, the shot left his hand on a promising arc.
Although it was not a bad play design having 6 seconds to work with, Giannis suggested another option the team can turn to in similar scenarios–namely, himself. “I think I’m capable of taking it in the elbow, if they play one-on-one, try to take it myself. If they don’t, try to make something happen. But it’s one or the other,” he said, whether that is himself or Lillard. “I’m cool.”
Giving Giannis the ball to back it down inside or fade from mid-range, where he has been lethal this season, is a tantalizing option. No one complains if Lillard’s shot goes in, but down by two, working near the basket through Giannis, at least as good a playmaker as Dame is, could avoid the stagnant breakdown on display in the final ticks against the Magic. As he showed on his dunk prior, three points can come the old fashioned way, too.
The Bucks could see another one go down to the wire when they host Cleveland on Sunday night. It will be Milwaukee’s chance to finally take home a W versus the top three teams, Boston, Cleveland, and New York, after going 0-8 so far this season.
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