Damian Lillard had another one of those nights during Monday’s hard-fought victory against the Chicago Bulls. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar struggled mightily with his shot, finishing the game with just three makes out of 17 attempts for an atrocious 17.6 percent shooting clip.
Dame also had a chance to climb the NBA’s all-time 3-point leaderboard in this game, but he came up short after shooting 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Needless to say, it was a poor shooting night for the seven-time All-Star.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard Goes Ice-Cold Vs. Bulls
After the game, Lillard got honest about his inefficient performance from the field. Dame admitted that it was simply an off night for him but at the same time, he did everything he could to still help his team secure a much-needed win:
“It’s a lot of ways to impact the game,” Lillard said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I’ve been in a lot of games where I didn’t shoot the ball well. Just over time, you know when you get to that point where like, shots you usually make aren’t going in, you miss one you feel like is easy, you miss a free throw and you’re like man, it’s just one of those nights. I think it’s important to keep taking those opportunities when they’re there, but you can’t just allow that to stop you from playing the game. I still made plays, I was being a playmaker.”
Not only is Lillard one of the most dangerous scorers in the NBA today, but he also happens to be an elite playmaker. This was on full display against Chicago as the seven-time All-NBA point guard banked on his facilitating prowess to carry him through an otherwise forgettable outing.
Dame Stepped It Up Defensively
It wasn’t just Dame’s team-high nine assists that helped him salvage his horrendous shooting against the Bulls. Lillard also did what he could on the defensive end.
It goes without saying that the 33-year-old is far from the best defender on the roster for Milwaukee but in his defense, Lillard has been putting in a real effort to make the necessary improvements on this facet of his game.
“Defensively, I was – a couple times – matched up on bigger dudes, just trying to put a body on ‘em,” Lillard said. “Taking the challenge, switching onto DeRozan or whatever the case might be, just try to do anything you can to do to contribute to the win and not get too caught up in oh, I’m missing shots. That’s part of the game. It happens. That’s what I was thinking in my head.”
Dame won’t be gunning for an All-Defensive Team recognition at the end of this season, but so long as he is able to do his part on defense, the Bucks should be fine.
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