The Milwaukee Bucks took care of business on Tuesday night, taking down the New York Knicks, 146-122, in the quarterfinals of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Julius Randle and the Knicks did all they could to upset the odds but in the end, it was Milwaukee who booked their spot in the semifinals against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.
Damian Lillard Reacts to Milwaukee Bucks’ Win
Damian Lillard played a key role in Milwaukee’s triumph. The seven-time All-Star dropped 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting, to go along with five triples, three rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in 34 minutes of play.
After the game, Dame sounded off on his team taking a step closer to becoming the first-ever IST champions:
“I think we’ve learned what the tournament was about over time,” Lillard said. “We’ve played better and better over the course of it. You wanna advance as far as possible. Like I said earlier, we’re playing for a lot of reasons, for a lot of our teammates. To be a part of this in-season tournament for the first time and try to go all the way. I’m happy that we’re playing our best basketball going into it and we’re excited to get to Vegas.”
"I'm happy that we're playing our best basketball going into it and we're excited to get to Vegas."
Damian Lillard chats with @melaniebricks after the dub! #FearTheDeer #NBA pic.twitter.com/5bwvnYqxKX
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) December 6, 2023
The Bucks did flex their two-way dominance in this one. They held off a valiant effort from Julius Randle, who went off for 41 points on 14-of-19 shooting. Milwaukee turned it up a notch in the second half on both ends of the floor, outscoring their opponents 71-50 in the final two quarters of play.
Lillard and Co. are now headed to Las Vegas to battle the Pacers, and as Dame said, they’re peaking at just the right time.
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