The Milwaukee Bucks needed Damian Lillard on Wednesday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo was unable to suit up due to a calf injury which meant that Dame had to be the one who carries the load against the Toronto Raptors.
Well, Lillard did just that.
Damian Lillard Comes Up Big for Milwaukee Bucks
Lillard had one of his best games as a Buck with Giannis being forced to sit out for the first time this season. The seven-time All-NBA point guard went off for a game-high 37 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Dame also logged four rebounds, 13 assists, and two steals in 31 minutes of play. He went 4-of-10 from deep and a highly efficient 15-of-16 from the charity stripe.
After Milwaukee’s 128-112 win over the Raptors, Lillard sounded off on having to step it up for his team amid Giannis’ absence:
“I think the situation just was right for it,” Lillard said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “With Giannis not playing I knew I would have more responsibility. I knew I’d have to be more aggressive and kind of assert myself from a playmaking and scoring standpoint.
“Last time we came here they kind of blitzed us to start the game so I wanted to, from the tip, I wanted to assert myself in that way and just dive right into the game instead of waiting. I was able to get it going. I didn’t even feel like I was hot tonight, I just felt in a good rhythm in the game, just getting in the paint, causing guys to pull over, finding the open man, attacking in transition. Guys weren’t in a position to really do a whole lot so they fouled me a lot and it just turned into one of those games with a good flow.”
Lillard delivered for the Bucks in a major way. He stamped his authority in the game early on and he never took his foot off the gas. As he said, he knew his team was relying on him tonight with Antetokounmpo out.
One thing you can say about Dame Lillard is that he’s absolutely the type of star who steps it up when he’s most needed. Wednesday’s monster performance is a testament to this fact.
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