Follow usOn Monday, Damian Lillard’s stellar performance, with a game-high 41 points, propelled the Milwaukee Bucks to a 113-106 triumph over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. Bobby Portis made a significant contribution off the bench, notching 28 points and 16 rebounds, while Patrick Beverley added 12 points and nine rebounds against his former team.
Despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a left Achilles injury, the Bucks secured their sixth consecutive win. For the Clippers, James Harden and Paul George both tallied 29 points, with Kawhi Leonard adding 16. Ivica Zubac grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, but the Clippers had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
The Clippers, holding a seven-point halftime lead, extended it with a 13-6 run at the beginning of the second half. However, Milwaukee mounted a comeback in the final quarter. Trailing by six with 5:33 left, the Bucks orchestrated a 15-0 run to seize control, establishing a 105-96 lead with 1:58 remaining. Although the Clippers narrowed the deficit to five with four consecutive points, back-to-back baskets from Portis solidified Milwaukee’s comeback.
In the opening quarter, the Clippers jumped to a 27-23 lead, and timely triples from Daniel Theis and Bones Hyland extended their advantage to 10 points by the end of the period. Hyland’s buzzer-beating layup provided the Clippers with a 35-25 lead heading into the second quarter.
After a back-and-forth start to the second quarter, Los Angeles held a 50-41 lead with 4:12 left in the first half. The Bucks responded with a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to two, but the Clippers closed the half with five consecutive points, taking a 55-48 lead into the break, highlighted by Leonard’s free throw after a Lillard technical foul.
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