After being eliminated in their previous outing against the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors came out and did the same thing with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Looking to make a model of it, the Bucks visited the Los Angeles Lakers, who were shorthanded with LeBron James out of the lineup. Milwaukee had a chance to bounce back with a win, but many of the issues that plagued them in that loss to Golden State returned in this one, making it a game that went down to the last few minutes. seconds, literally.
Trailing 123-122 with seconds remaining, Damian Lillard made a step-back jumper inside the arc, which was blocked by Spencer Dinwiddie, sending the Bucks to the locker room with their second straight loss. After winning six in a row to start the All-Star break, Milwaukee has now lost two in a row, and many of its past problems have resurfaced.
Although his final blocked shot grabbed the headlines, Lillard was on the positive side of this game’s story in other ways.
First, he passed Reggie Miller for fourth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Obviously, a significant portion of those triples didn’t come as a member of the Bucks, but it’s still encouraging to see the team’s starting point guard continue to etch his name in the history books.
Congratulation to @Dame_Lillard of the @Deer for moving into 4th all-time in 3-point shooting! pic.twitter.com/MvHBusAJp8
-NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2024
Lillard didn’t stop there, as he was one half of the first duo since the ABA-NBA merger to fall at least 25 points and 12 assists in the same competition, according to Opta Stats. He finished with 28 points and 12 assists, while Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 14 rebounds, notching another triple-double.
Despite these historic exploits, the Milwaukee Bucks could not avoid defeat.
They are largely to blame for D’Angelo Russell, as he was a man possessed from start to finish. The guard scored 44 points and dished out nine assists, disrupting every defensive tactic the Bucks threw at him. He was particularly good on three shots, shooting 9 of 12 from distance, but it was his game-winning floater inside the arc that sealed the deal.
Not only did the Bucks have no answer for him, but Anthony Davis (22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists) and Austin Reaves (18 points and seven assists) also gave them a hard time.
Outside of a few quality stops, Milwaukee’s defense felt unbalanced in this one. There were a lot of communication issues with the Lakers constantly being groomed. When they shoot 47.1 percent from three, you can’t give up that great look. Every time things started to look good for Milwaukee, it looked like the Lakers were going to sink another three.
This was a similar issue to Milwaukee against Golden State, showing that while they looked like an improved defensive team in their first six games after the All-Star break, they still have work to do and they must do it quickly.
Pat Connaughton deserves some flowers for an impressive stat line of 17 points and six rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from deep. He was important for Milwaukee, giving them a spark off the bench that they needed to have a chance in this game. The guard was playing much better like later than he was at the start of the season, and I hope he can continue after this performance.
Ultimately, these last two games have been ugly. There’s no doubt the Bucks have taken a step back as of late, and things won’t get any easier with a busy schedule ahead. Now, Khris Middleton’s return will be a hot topic of conversation as everyone eagerly awaits his return. There’s no doubt he could help this team now.
Stay tuned for more analysis on the Milwaukee Bucks.
