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Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard had himself a night against the Toronto Raptors. Despite Bucks' star Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out in this one, Dame Time was in full effect. The Bucks defeated the Raptors 128-112 and Damian Lillard was an absolute star. He scored 37 points while dishing out 13 assists in the blowout victory.
When asked about his monster performance, Lillard had this to say; “The situation was right for it,” Lillard said of his big night. “With Giannis not playing I knew I would have more responsibility, I knew I would have to be more aggressive and kind of assert myself from a playmaking and scoring standpoint.”
Dame taking control
It's interesting if you take a deeper dive into Dame's big performance. Lillard had some good teams with the Portland Trail Blazers, but never as good as this Milwaukee Bucks team. Without Antetokounmpo, Lillard had a bit more control to take over, similar to his days in Portland. Lillard was the clear number-one guy for Milwaukee in this one, as the Bucks claimed an emphatic win over the Raptors.
Lillard's start to his Bucks career hasn't exactly been as efficient as he and the Bucks had hoped. He's averaging 24.3 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 5.7 assists per game. That's his second-lowest scoring number since 2015, and the second-lowest assist number of his career. To make it worse, Dame has been very inefficient in shooting the basketball. He's 38.6% from the field and a measly 28.6% from three. It was nice to see Lillard have a bit of a breakout game against the Raptors. Maybe all it took was a little bit more control back in his hands.
The Bucks are now 7-4 which is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. Now eleven games into the season, it's starting to become time for the Bucks to establish themselves as top contenders in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo should be back playing in no time, and if Lillard can keep shooting like he did against the Raptors, Milwaukee should be in good shape.
It's seemingly championship or bust for the Bucks this year, and they'll need their second superstar in Lillard to contribute the whole way if they want a shot at another ring. Dame's game against the Raptors marks a nice start.
