With Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both sidelined against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, Damian Lillard had to step up to the plate. The eight-time All-Star did just that with a tremendous 41-point explosion to lead the Bucks to a 113-106 comeback victory against the mighty Clippers.
Dame got a lot of help from his teammates, though, which included some clutch heroics by second-year guard A.J. Green.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Doc Rivers Heaps Praise on A.J. Green
Green finished Monday’s win with just six points on 2-of-4 shooting. Despite his modest numbers, however, the 6-foot-4 guard came up big in crunch time for Milwaukee. He drained a 32-foot triple down the stretch, followed by a key assist to Bobby Portis to give the Bucks some much-needed separation.
After the game, Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers had nothing but good things to say about Green. According to the one-time NBA champion shot-caller, he’s noticed the significant development in Green since Rivers took over the helm:
“Well, a ton. I believe in him and I’ve shown that,” Rivers said, via Gabe Stoltz of Brew Hoop. “Guys that can shoot like that affect the game. It’s funny, right when he walked out on the floor, you can hear the Clippers, ‘Shooter, shooter, shooter!’ That’s a good thing — even if he doesn’t get shots. It means when we drive, someone’s standing next to him and it gives us spacing. What we’ve worked on the most is on the defensive end and he’s proven that he’s a fighter. He hung in there. I thought defensively he was fantastic tonight.”
A.J. Is Automatic
Portis (28 points, 16 rebounds) also had some high praise for Green after their big win over the Clippers. The veteran big man was on the floor when Green hit one of the biggest shots of the night, and Portis revealed why he didn’t even bother going for the rebound when he saw his young teammate attempt a three-ball from 32 feet out.
AJ AUTOMATIC FROM WAY BACK. pic.twitter.com/JgdBFRI3DI
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 5, 2024
“I know it’s going in,” Portis said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “If there’s one person, when he shoots the basketball back in the shooting pocket, I’m not even crashing the glass. I never crash the glass on his. I just walk back on defense because I think it’s going in every time.”
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