Washington: Damian Lillard, sidelined with teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo with a hamstring injury, had 31 points and 16 assists in Milwaukee’s 140-129 NBA victory over Phoenix on Sunday. Bobby Portis added 31 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Bucks, who improved to 44-24 and tied for second in the Eastern Conference.
Lillard, the first player in club history with 30 points and 15 assists in the same game, praised Portis and others for stepping up against Greek superstar Antetokounmpo. “It was huge,” Lillard said. “One of our biggest strengths is our depth. Bobby Portis is a rookie on any other team, but for our team, he knows what his job is.
“With a guy like Giannis, you know everybody’s going to have to raise their game. We’ve been in that situation a few times this year and every time he’s come through and delivered.” “I knew I wasn’t going to have to come out and overdo it. Feed him. Feed everybody else, pick me spots, and be aggressive.”
Lillard had 14 points and 12 assists in the first half as Milwaukee took an 82-60 halftime advantage, with the Bucks tying the NBA record held by the Suns and Utah Jazz for sinking 18 first-half threes. Portis had 25 points in the first half on 10-of-13 shooting, 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, as the Bucks went 24-of-41 from 3-point range.
“It’s fun after all the work you put into it,” Portis said. “Just having good teammates and coaches that believe in you. We’re going through this marathon 82-game season together and trying to build great camaraderie and chemistry.” Lillard made 10-of-19 shots from the floor, 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and all seven of his free-throw attempts.
His effort included a buzzer-beater from the logo at midcourt to give the Bucks a 109-94 lead after three quarters. “They keep their defense honest,” Lillard said. “They probably thought that with Giannis out, I wanted to try to force it. I just took advantage of what their defense was doing. They got overpowered.
I was making easy plays. Guys were shooting.” “It forces their defense to push and pick. I was able to take advantage of that. When we play that way, we’re playing our best — and I think I’m playing my best.” Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, who missed 16 games with a sprained left ankle, added 22 points in his return after six weeks.
Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points, Grayson Allen added 25, Devin Booker netted 23 and Kevin Durant had 11 points to go with nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Phoenix fell to 39-29, just behind Sacramento for the sixth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
Kyrie Irving sank a 20-foot left-handed jumper at the final buzzer to give the Dallas Mavericks a 107-105 home victory over Denver, snapping the Nuggets’ five-game winning streak. Denver’s Jamal Murray scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to spark a 20-4 Nuggets run that gave Denver a 105-102 lead on Murray’s 3-pointer.
NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic, the Slovenian guard who had 23 of his game-high 37 points in the first half, answered with a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to put the Mavericks up and Murray missed Denver’s final shot to set up Irving’s layup. -winner. Irving finished with 24 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds as Dallas improved to 39-29, seventh in the Western Conference.
Murray led Denver with 23 points, while two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who fell to 47-21 and are tied for the West lead with Oklahoma City. Bam Adebayo’s 30-foot 3-pointer at the final buzzer gave Miami a 104-101 victory in Detroit.
Adebayo finished with 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Miami’s Duncan Robinson, who scored a career-high 30 points, became the fastest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 3-pointers, reaching the milestone Sunday in his 343rd game, seven shy of the old mark set by Buddy Hield from the Bahamas.
