Damian Lillard on Sunday delivered with teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo out due to a hamstring injury, scoring 31 points and distributing 16 assists in Milwaukee’s 140-129 triumph over Phoenix.
Reserve Bobby Portis added 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, who improved to 44-24 and tightened their grip on second in the Eastern Conference.
Lillard, the first player in Bucks history with 30 points and 15 assists in the same game, praised Portis and others for stepping up with Greek superstar Antetokounmpo sidelined.
Photo: Michael McLoone-USA Today
“It was huge,” Lillard said. “One of our biggest strengths is our depth. Bobby Portis is a starter on any other team, but for our team he knows what his job is. Down a guy like Giannis, you know everybody is going to have to step their game up. We’ve been in this situation a couple of times this year, and every time he has come through and delivered. I knew I wouldn’t have to come out and overdo it. Feed him. Feed everybody else, pick my spots and be aggressive.”
Lillard had 14 points and 12 assists in the first half as Milwaukee took an 82-60 halftime edge, the Bucks matching an NBA record held by the Suns and Utah by making 18 first-half three-pointers.
Portis had 25 first-half points on 10-of-13 shooting, going five of five from beyond the arc as the Bucks went 24 of 41 from three-point range overall.
“It’s fun after all the work you put in,” Portis said. “Just having good teammates and coaches that believe in you. We go through this marathon 82-game season together, and try to build great camaraderie and chemistry.”
Lillard made 10 of 19 shots from the floor, seven of seven free throws and four of eight from three-point range, including a buzzer-beater from the mid-court logo to give the Bucks a 109-94 lead after three quarters.
“They probably thought with Giannis out, I was going to just try and force it. I just took advantage of what their defense was doing,” Lillard said. “When we play that way, we play our best — and I think I play my best.”
Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points, while Grayson Allen added 25 and Devin Booker netted 23.
In Dallas, Kyrie Irving sank a left-handed 20-foot floater shot at the final buzzer to give the Mavericks a 107-105 victory over Denver, snapping the Nuggets’ five-game winning streak.
Denver’s Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a three-pointer to cap a 20-4 Nuggets run for a 105-102 lead.
NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic, the Slovenian who had 23 of his 37 points in the first half, answered with a three-pointer and a Murray miss set up Irving’s winner.
Irving finished with 24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as Dallas improved to 39-29, seventh in the Western Conference.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who fell to 47-21 and out of a share of the West lead with Oklahoma City.
In Detroit, Michigan, Bam Adebayo’s 30-foot three-pointer at the final buzzer gave Miami a 104-101 victory.
Adebayo finished with 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Miami’s Duncan Robinson, who scored a game-high 30 points, became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 three-pointers, hitting the milestone in his 343rd contest, seven fewer than Buddy Hield’s old mark.
In Washington, Boston’s Sam Hauser scored a career-high 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting, all on three-pointers, before being sidelined by an ankle sprain in the Celtics’ 130-104 victory.
Jayson Tatum also had 30 points for Boston, who improved the NBA’s best record to 53-14 with a fifth consecutive triumph, while the NBA-worst Wizards fell to 11-57.
Elsewhere, French rookie Victor Wembanyama had game-highs of 33 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks plus seven assists to power San Antonio’s 122-115 overtime victory over Brooklyn.
Paolo Banchero scored 29 points to lead host Orlando over Toronto 111-96, while Dejounte Murray’s 21 points led Atlanta’s 110-93 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers.
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