There aren't a lot of things much scarier in the NBA realm than a red-hot Damian Lillard. And that was exactly what the Detroit Pistons had to deal with on Saturday, as the Milwaukee Bucks star point guard torched them from start to finish for 45 points to go with 11 assists and six rebounds in 37 minutes of action of a 141-135 victory in Detroit.
Damian Lillard was unstoppable in Bucks win
Lillard knew he was going to have a big night ahead of him, telling Melanie Ricks during a postgame interview that he was already starting to get in the zone during the warm-ups.
When Lillard was not getting his buckets from the field, he was punishing the Pistons from the free-throw line. Lillard was perfect from the charity stripe, going 16-for-16. As a team, the Bucks went 35-for-49 on their free throws.
It was the kind of performance that the Bucks and their fans expected to often get from the future Hall of Famer when the team acquired him from the Portland Trail Blazers via a complex three-team trade that also involved the Phoenix Suns.
Lillard was also due for a game like that, as he was coming off an uncharacteristic cold performance in a 135-95 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road last Wednesday when he only scored 17 points on an inefficient 7-for-20 shooting from the floor.
With the win over the lowly Pistons, Lillard and the Bucks improved to 29-13. They will look to win in a much more convincing manner against the same team in the same venue this coming Monday.
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