Damian Lillard more than filled in on Monday night in Milwaukee.
Lillard dropped 41 points and helped the Bucks climb out of a 15-point hole in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 113-106 without Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Fiserve Forum. It marked the Bucs' sixth win coming out of the All-Star break, and another solid performance under new head coach Doc Rivers.
Antetokounmpo was ruled out of the game shortly before tipoff with left Achilles tendinitis, which Rivers said has been an issue for the star the past few games. He took to the court for his usual pre-game routine, but eventually cut it short and left. Antetokounmpo — who is averaging 30.8 points and shooting a career-high 61.9% from the field — has missed just three games this season.
“It's been coming from the last two or three games,” Rivers said before the win. via ESPN. “He was really nice this morning … we'll figure it out from there.”
The Clippers took full advantage of his absence early. They took a seven-point lead into halftime and quickly pushed it to 15 points in the third quarter.
But it was a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter that extended into the fourth that finally brought the Bucks back. Then, after a Paul George 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter, the Bucks did it again. They went on a 15-0 tear, sparked by a Lillard step-back 3-pointer, and suddenly took full control of the game. The Bucs held the Clippers to three field goals the rest of the way — two of which came too late to make a difference in garbage time — to secure a seven-point victory.
Lillard finished with 41 points, four rebounds and four assists in the win. Bobby Portis came off the bench to add 28 points and 16 rebounds, and Patrick Beverley finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. They are the only three Bucs players to score in double figures.
James Harden led the Clippers with 29 points and eight assists. Paul George added 29 points and five rebounds on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, and Kawhi Leonard finished with 16 points. The Clippers were without veteran guard Russell Westbrook, who broke his hand on Friday and underwent hand surgery on Monday. The team hopes he will rejoin them in time for the playoffs. The Clippers have a record of 39-21, which is fourth in the Western Conference standings.
As for the Bucs, they finally seem to have found success under Rivers — who replaced coach Adrian Griffin just before the All-Star break. They have won six times and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference standings at 41-21, although they still trail the Boston Celtics by eight full games. The Bucks go on a four-game California road trip starting next Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors.
While it's unclear how long Antetokounmpo will be sidelined, the Bucks seem more than capable of holding their own whether or not it makes it to the final stretch of the season. Whether that will be enough to catch the Celtics, however, remains to be seen.
