Lillard decides in Milwaukee. The presence of Greek gods is optional.
Nikita Biryukov March 20, 2024, 18:10 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo no longer the team leader?
The Milwaukee Bucks basketball club recently returned to second place in the Eastern Conference, although at certain times the team had problems playing and achieving results. At the same time, in the last regular season game with the Phoenix Suns, team leader Giannis Antetokounmpo did not appear on the court. However, in the “deer” camp there was a hero or heroes who were able to achieve a certain victory without Grick Freak.
NBA – regular season
March 17, 2024, Sunday. 20:00 Moscow time
milwaukee dollars
milwaukee
phoenix suns
Phoenix
Milwaukee Bucks: Lillard – 31, Portis – 31, Middleton – 22, Crowder – 18, Beasley – 17, Lopez – 10, Green – 5, Beverly – 3, Connaughton – 3, Galloway, Gallinari, Washington Jr., Antetokounmpo, Jackson , Rollins
Phoenix Suns: Beal – 28, Allen – 25, Booker – 23, O’Neal – 16, Durant – 11, Gordon – 10, Nurkic – 8, Oybanks – 4, Bol – 2, Roddy – 2, Wainwright, Azubuike, Little , Young
Damian Lillard’s arrival in Milwaukee marked a new era for the team. The bet was made on two stars: Giannis and Dame, and the rest of the squad was full of strong players, including Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez. At the same time, Milwaukee can have no other championship goal than a championship with such impressive stars. For most of the season, the “deer” occupied second place, and only after Doc Rivers took over the club, the team slightly fell in results and fell to third or fourth place in the table.
Things then improved for the team, and Lillard played an increasingly important role on the team than he did at first. The team has already adapted to the star guard’s style of play and, in turn, lost all five championship games when Damien was not on the court, but in the absence of Giannis, Lillard’s leadership qualities are activated to the maximum. Antetokounmpo only missed four games this season, and Milwaukee won three of them, led by Dame.
Milwaukee’s problems this season:
Milwaukee is in terrible shape. Was it necessary to change coaches during the NBA season?
The already experienced Lillard turns his switch to maximum and drags the “deer” with all his strength. In the game against Phoenix, Dame scored 31 points and had 16 assists. The point guard became the first player in Milwaukee history to score at least 30 points with 15 assists. Not without the excellent game of Bobby Portis, who scored the same number of points – 31. But still, the influence on the structure of Lillard’s game and on the team as a whole is not comparable to that of Portis, who simply hit everything he could.
It didn’t take long for Lillard to get used to playing with stronger teammates than the ones he had in Portland. It’s understandable that the point guard doesn’t put up such impressive statistical numbers because he has to share a lot of possessions with Giannis. However, 24.4 points, 7.0 assists, and a career-best 92.6% free throw percentage speak for themselves.
It seems that Lillard and Antetokounmpo do not care at all who will be the team’s first fiddle in attack and which of them will have the status of the club’s main star. Once again, these guys have one goal: the title. Dame has waited too long for this in Portland and is heading into the playoffs in great shape. The main thing is that Milwaukee does not make the mistakes of the previous playoffs.
Amazing performance in the All-Star Game:
Stories
A very productive NBA all-star weekend. Especially for Damian Lillard!
