Damian Lillard went into attack mode, and it opened scoring opportunities not just for himself but also for his teammates as the Milwaukee Bucks came through with an impressive 140-129 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Lillard scored 31 points and also got his teammates involved after dishing off 16 assists. Dame became the first Milwaukee player to record a 30-point, 15-assist game, a performance that drew praises from his teammates.
Dame took over the game
“He was just, I think, picking them apart, really,” Middleton said of Lillard. “Mostly just seeing the crowd that he was attracting and just getting it off early. He trusted the guys out there to make the plays and hit the shots for him. But I think he did a great job of picking and choosing on when to attack that big off the double team and then also just knowing when to get off of it and not forcing things too much.”
Behind Lillard’s stellar play-making, the Bucks got open looks as they made a total of 24 three-pointers on 41 attempts for a high 58 percent shooting clip. Overall, Milwaukee went 51-for-94 from the field.
“It opened up everything,” Crowder said of Lillard’s passing. “You have to worry about him every night but when he gets downhill and taking two or three defenders and catching the weak side passes and we’re making these guys pay, I think it opens up our offense a lot. I think it gives him more freedom at the top to play one-on-one instead of seeing double teams off the pick-and-roll, and I think we just rolled with that action. We did a great job of just playing through him the whole entire game.”
Dame made the right plays
Lillard’s aggressiveness was badly needed as the Bucks played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was sidelined with a sore hamstring.
“I just wanted to come out and be in attack mode, really. I didn’t really think to myself I have to score a bunch of points. I just knew I had to be a problem for the defense, getting into the paint, getting them in rotations, making them have to help and that’s just how I played. I kept making the right play and guys just made shots,” said Dame.
Bobby Portis Jr. also scored 31 points and grabbed ten rebounds, while Khris Middleton marked his return from a 16-game absence with a 22-point performance. Jae Crowder added 18 points, Malik Beasley chipped in 17, and Brook Lopez had 10 in a balanced attack that helped hike Milwaukee’s record to 44-24.
“I give a lot of credit to the guys' shot-making. Even though I created the plays, you don’t always make shots at that clip, and we did tonight,” Lillard said.
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