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After faltering down the stretch vs. Lakers, Damian Lillard bounces back with a clutch performance against Clippers
After coming up short in giving the Milwaukee Bucks a win in their previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Damian Lillard was determined to bounce back and redeem himself in their next game against the Los Angeles Clippers. That he did, as the eight-time All-Star came up big in crunch time, scoring nine straight in the last three minutes to help the Bucks repulse the Clippers, 124-117, on Sunday afternoon at the crypto.com Arena.Special delivery in the fourth quarter
On Friday night against the Lakers, Lillard had a shot at winning the game for the Bucks. Down one with five seconds remaining, Dame received the ball, feinted a drive, and stepped back for a jumper. However, Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie stayed every step of the way and blocked Lillard's shot away as time expired, giving the Bucks the loss.
Against the Clippers, the Bucks found themselves in a dogfight against a tough Clippers squad that played without All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Despite the clear advantage in personnel, Milwaukee was only up by three, 110-107, with 3:18 to go. With the game hanging in the balance, Lillard hit a triple from the left wing and added three free throws for a 116-109 lead.
Lillard then finished the Clippers with another three-pointer, this time coming off a handoff from Giannis Antetokounmpo, with only 1:19 left in the game.
Takes great pride in hitting big-time shots
Lillard has earned a reputation as one of the most clutch players in the NBA. He consistently delivers in high-pressure situations and is known for hitting big-time shots when his team needs it the most. However, he's not shy about admitting that he has also had his fair share of misses and takes responsibility for those as well.
"I take pride in being in those moments and taking responsibility in those moments," Lillard said.
"I think part of that is accepting and understanding you're going to come up short sometimes. I take pride in being able to handle that, too, because I know that a lot of people can't. So when it doesn't go my way, I get more bold about it, you know? And I've always been that way."
