To say that the Milwaukee Bucks have responded well to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s troubling injury would be an understatement. They took care of business against the league-best Boston Celtics on Tuesday, 104-91, despite losing the former back-to-back MVP to a calf injury.
Milwaukee then followed that up with a critical win on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, 117-99, which took them another step closer to finally clinching the No. 2 seed in the East.
Milwaukee Bucks News: Damian Lillard Vocal on Importance of Back-to-Back Wins
At this point, it’s all about resiliency for the Bucks. Not only are they dealing with a problematic situation on the Giannis front, but they are also coming off a brutal four-game losing streak. According to Damian Lillard, this is a crucial stretch for Milwaukee. Now is the time that their mettle is tested:
“I think it’s a builder for us,” Lillard said of taking the last two games, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It gives us even more confidence to know that we can kind of deal with a storm like we dealt with leading up to these two games and then come out of it and not just win ’em, but win ’em even with guys down and be able to come together and get it done. I think moving forward, it just shows the layers to our team. It’s not just who we have here physically, but mentally what we’re able to do.”
The Bucks will need to keep their feet on the gas, though. Giannis won’t be available for their last two regular-season games, and there is legitimate concern that he won’t be ready in time for the start of the playoffs.
As Lillard said, however, the team will have no other choice but to come together and do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
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