The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-107 on Friday night. It was a huge win for Milwaukee who, going into the NBA All-Star Break, had gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. Of course, the Bucks have been under a microscope ever since they fired rookie head coach Adrian Griffin in favor of Doc Rivers. Unfortunately, the Bucks have not always played up to their potential with either as head coach.
This has been especially true for All-Star point guard Damian Lillard. Despite being voted as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career (and his eighth NBA All-Star selection overall), Lillard has struggled to find his place on the team. This season, he is averaging 24.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Lillard is shooting 42/33/92 from the floor. All of those numbers, aside from his free throw percentage, are down from last year.
Many hoped that Dame’s win in the NBA Three-Point Contest and being named All-Star Game MVP would help him break out of his funk. However, he started the game against the Timberwolves 1/9 and went into the half with just four points.
However, Lillard went 7/14 in the second half and hit clutch shots as the game drew to a close. He finished with 21 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. Towards the end of the game, he started playing like the player everyone expected him to be.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Had Said the Milwaukee Bucks Were Damian Lillard’s Team
In a recent interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Giannis was quoted as saying:
“I am his biggest fan,” Antetokounmpo said. “Good or bad, I ride with Dame until the f—ing end. I ride with Dame. Like I’ve been saying this over and over again. This. Is. His. Team. Down the stretch, he’s going to get the ball. There’s nothing else that we will do. I don’t know how else to put it. I don’t know what else to say.
“But at the end of the day, he has to believe it too.”
That last part, about Dame believing in himself as the leader of the team, is the most important thing. Before the break, in crunch time, Lillard often was too passive, missed too many shots, and, frankly, was not doing what he’s being paid to do: destroy teams in clutch time.
But the Minnesota game was a stark contrast from the previous games this season. Despite starting just 1/9, Lillard didn’t stop shooting. As a result, he shot himself out of the funk and hit some huge shots for the Bucks late in the fourth quarter.
Damian Lillard Had High Praise for Giannis Antetokounmpo After the Milwaukee Bucks’ Win
After the game, Dame put on a headset and was on SportsCenter for a quick interview. Here is what he had to say about Giannis:
Dame: “He’s [Giannis] the most dominant player in the league, just a lot to deal with it’s hard to not foul him when he’s attacking that paint.. he’s a handful and he’s going to do that from start to finish.
For me I was trying to be in attack mode it just wasn’t falling but I… pic.twitter.com/TTVcMJP2TJ— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) February 24, 2024
“He’s [Giannis] the most dominant player in the league, just a lot to deal with it’s hard to not foul him when he’s attacking that paint. He’s so athletic, so long, and so physical. He’s a handful and he’s going to do that from start to finish. For me I was trying to be in attack mode it just wasn’t falling but I know I gotta aggressive, especially down the stretch of the season, and trust that it’s going to fall, and tonight I think it started to fall late.
“It’s just great to play alongside a guy like Giannis that you know is going to show up. He’s going to dominate. He’s never going to go away. His effort is always huge for us.”
The Wolves are the top team in the Western Conference and Milwaukee played excellent defense and, once Dame got going, were able to put them away.
They’re starting to figure it out, they’re enjoying playing together, and the best is yet to come.
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