Twelve victories for one defeat. This is the record this season for the Bucks when Damian Lillard scored 25 points or more. Confirmation last night of this trend with an overwhelming success (146-122) over the Knicks with Lillard at 28 points, with a very clean 8 out of 13 on shots. In front of their home crowd, Adrian Griffin's players lit fireworks with their biggest score of the season in the wake of a 3-point festival: 23 out of 38, or 61%!
“It’s undoubtedly our best game in attack”summarizes Lillard. “Which doesn't mean we're going to do this every night, but it's a sign that we can really have this type of explosiveness. We can't depend on nights like that every time, but it's definitely a glimpse of what we can do on offense.”
Constant progress
The best thing is to achieve this against the Knicks, the team which conceded the fewest points per game this season, and which had not conceded so many points since… 1979! This is the 10th victory in 12 matches for the Bucks, undefeated in the NBA tournament.
“We had some tough times, where we weren't playing very well some nights, but we still managed to win those games,” recalls Lillard. “I think now we're starting to be a little more fluid, knowing where to be on the field, knowing how to find good positions, and knowing how to help us be who we are. It's not perfect, but I like that we're progressing and that it's felt on the pitch. »
Facing the Pacers, in an attacking match, the Bucks will start as favorites in their semi-final, and they have taken to the game of this first “In-Season Tournament”.
The Bucks want to win everything this season
“This season, we want to win two titles” coward Malik Beasley, X factor of the evening with his 18 points. Same enthusiasm from Brook Lopez. “I’m very excited to experience this. If we've gotten this far, it's because we've worked hard. I can't wait to be in Vegas and really experience this first “In-Season Tournament” or this first Final Four. It doesn’t matter what the name is.”
For Lillard, this Final Four in Las Vegas is ideal to confirm this progression and gain confidence.
“It’s a confidence builder for any team,” concludes the former Blazers leader. “It reveals who is going to fight for it, who is going to go after it when the competition is at its peak. In most matches of the tournament, we could see that the competition was increasing. The teams challenge each other. If you're the last one left standing, I think that sends a very strong message. This is something that everyone in the league must respect. »
