© Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the undermanned L.A. Clippers to end a two-game slide
The Milwaukee Bucks leaned on their superstar duo to nip the Los Angeles Clippers, 124-117, and snap a two-game skid on Sunday.
Damian Lillard finished with 35 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds while Giannis Antetokounmpo ended up with 34 points, ten assists, and seven rebounds as the Bucks capitalized on the absence of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to recover from back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Lakers.
Malik Beasley added 17 points, and Bobby Portis Jr. had 11 for Milwaukee, which moved up to second spot in the Eastern Conference again with a 42-23 record. The Bucks were at third coming into the contest, but the win, coupled with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 101-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, they moved up to second behind the 49-14 Boston Celtics.
Dame delivered in the endgame
Despite not having George and Leonard, the Clippers still put up a good fight, and the Bucks needed some clutch performance from Lillard to escape the win. Dame scored 16 of his total output in the final frame and struck nine straight points in a crucial stretch of the payoff period.
The Clippers moved within 107-110 when Lillard hit a three-pointer for a six-point Milwaukee lead. James Harden sank a fade-away jumper, but Lillard hit three free throws and added a trifecta that gave the Bucks a 119-109 lead with only 1:19 left.
Milwaukee won the season series
Norman Powell came off the bench to lead the Clippers with 26 points, while Ivica Zubac and Terance Mann added 18 and 16, respectively. James Harden went 5-for-16 from the field and scored just 13 points, although he had 11 assists.
The Clippers dropped to 41-22 as the Bucks won the two teams’ regular-season series 0-2. An Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee defeated L.A. in their first meeting on March 4th, 113-106.
