After all the drama surrounding Adrian Griffin’s firing and the hiring of Doc Rivers, the latter finally made his coaching debut against the Denver Nuggets. The thing is, the defending champions found a way to neutralize Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks’ offense.
In the span of 35 minutes on the court, Dame Time was able to score 18 points, grab three rebounds, dish five assists, and block a single shot. On the other hand, the All-Star point guard committed four turnovers and got two fouls in the process.
The worrying stat, though, is how Lillard just connected five of his 13 attempts from the field, equating to a 38 percent success rate on the court. This is below his career field goal efficiency of 43 percent throughout the 12 seasons he has played in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a better performance against the Nuggets by posting 29 points on 57 percent shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, four assists, and a sole steal in almost 37 minutes. Nevertheless, the Bucks still found themselves on the losing side against a Denver squad led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic that night.
Jamal Murray Drops Denvers’ Secret On Slowing Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Offense
Speaking of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets’ point guard revealed what their mindset was when facing Lillard.
In several tweets posted by Ryan Blackburn on X:
Jamal Murray on the intensity tonight in Denver v Milwaukee:
“I think it’s more just about who’s got your back. When Dame’s coming off [the screen] it’s about trusting who’s going to be there.”
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) January 30, 2024
Murray continued and shared some interesting insight on Denver’s defensive coverages:
“If somebody makes a mistake or improvises and doubles, just being on a string. We don’t have to draw it up, you know what I’m saying?”
“I think just having better reaction, better timing. I…
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) January 30, 2024
Murray’s revelation proves why the Nuggets succeeded in becoming champions last season. With that kind of mindset, Denver was able to reduce Lillard’s impact on offense and ultimately win the game at home.
Even if that’s the case, the Bucks can still recover in the coming games. At the very least, Lillard and Milwaukee’s coaching staff can readjust their plans to prevent the All-Star guard’s offensive potency from being limited by opposing squads.
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