One of many NBA’s hottest groups confronted one of many NBA’s coldest groups Monday night time. However a cold-blooded end from Damian Lillard helped the Milwaukee Bucks steal a recreation from the Houston Rockets.
Lillard took over for the Bucks late, scoring 4 factors and helping on a three-pointer as his workforce closed on a 7-0 run. His layup with 3.2 seconds left gave the Bucks a 101-100 victory that his reeling workforce solely wanted.
Lillard had solely 12 factors and 6 assists going into the sport’s closing quarter, however he had 4 factors, an help and two rebounds within the closing 1:41 of the sport. In a recreation the place Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 20 factors however dedicated eight turnovers, Lillard’s return from a concussion could not have occurred at a extra opportune time for Milwaukee.
Whereas Dame Time occurred late, the Bucks have been solely within the recreation because of a monster effort from Brook Lopez. The 36-year-old scored 27 factors on 11-for-15 taking pictures, going 5-for-8 from three-point vary. Lopez has contested more shots than any participant within the NBA this season, and on Monday he blocked 4 photographs and grabbed three steals.
That is how the Bucks held the Rockets to 14.6 factors under their season common. Antetokounmpo had three blocks of his personal, together with a fingertip block on Alperen Sengun that opened the door for Lillard’s heroics.
The victory snapped the Rockets’ five-game win streak, a stretch the place they’d been outscoring their opponents by greater than 16 factors per recreation. Houston dropped to 10-5, with 4 of these losses coming by six factors or fewer. That may be a random likelihood, or it might be the youth and inexperience of the workforce.
That is the upside of the Bucks’ veteran roster. Lillard won’t be as younger and spry as he as soon as was, however he has loads of expertise taking and making game-winning photographs. Monday, that was simply sufficient for the Bucks.
