The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak with one of their most dominating wins of the season. Coming off of two terrible losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trailblazers, the Bucks trounced the Toronto Raptors on the road to the tune of a 128-104 win. The 24-point differential, as impressive as it is, does not even do justice to how complete and convincing their victory was.
It was clear in their last two games that both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were still affected by the illness that had caused both of them to miss multiple contests. That was not the case tonight as both star players played exceptionally well.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Passed Gary Payton on the NBA’s All-Time Scoring List
Lillard, who had been in a horrendous shooting slump since returning from his illness, was on fire from early on in this game. He shot 7/12 from the field (5/8 from three and 6/7 from the free throw line) and scored 25 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists.
Dame played just 26 minutes.
During the game, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported that the Bucks’ All-Star point guard had passed for Bucks point guard Gary Payton for 38th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list:
Per Bucks PR:
Damian Lillard has passed Gary Payton (21,813) to move up to No. 38 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 7, 2025
As Bucks fans remember all too well, Payton was acquired from the Seattle Supersonics in a midseason trade for fan-favorite shooting guard Ray Allen during the 2002-03 NBA season.
In 28 games with Milwaukee, Payton averaged 19.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.4 steals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Extended His Milwaukee Bucks Triple-Double Record
Due to the blowout nature of the game, Giannis played just 29 minutes. The Raptors had a good game plan to contain the two-time NBA MVP in the paint, which kept him from shooting and scoring as much as he usually does. Additionally, he suffered a gash on his shooting hand that required stitches after the game.
Still, the Greek Freak notched his 49th career triple double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 5/8 from the field.
He recorded 10 of his 13 assists before halftime.
Of course, it helped that his teammates were knocking down the open shots there were getting thanks to Toronto focusing on him so much. As a team, the Bucks were 22/44 from three.
Brook Lopez, who made his 1000th career three pointer late in the game, was 4/8 from three and scored 16 points to go with four rebounds and two blocks. Gary Trent Jr., who hit his 900th career three pointer, was 3/5 from three and scored 17 points to go with three rebounds, one assist and three steals coming off the bench.
Bobby Portis had 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench as well.
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