Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard on Milwaukee's first triumph vs. Indiana this season: "A quality win"

The Bucks finally got one over the Pacers this season.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers have proven to be a demanding customer for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. That’s why when Milwaukee defeated Indiana via a convincing 140-126 rout on Wednesday night, it looked like the Bucks have gotten the monkey off their back.

A meaningful win

Damian Lillard admitted that the 14-point win was not an ordinary triumph.

“Obviously, it’s a lot of games in the season, so you don’t wanna put too much into just one team or one game, but I think this is a team that has given us troubles,” said Lillard.

Coming into the contest, the Pacers have defeated the Bucks twice already this season. One of the wins came during the NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal. In their previous duels, Lillard explained that Milwaukee had trouble dealing with Indiana’s speed and outside sniping.

“In those first two games where we had a lead in both games or an opportunity to kind of put them away or extend the lead…we didn’t because they play fast. They got shooters,” Lillard said.

Lillard scored 21 in the third meeting, but Giannis Antetokounmpo was there to deliver the goods for the Bucks as he erupted for a career-high and a franchise-record 64 points.

“They are a handful to deal with out there. So I think it was just a quality win for us. I thought we started the game pretty solid and just how we played over the course of the game I thought it was good,” said Lillard.

A super special night

There were some stretches where the Bucks were awful, but Lillard liked how the team was able to adjust.

“Like any other game, we had our moments where we had some letdowns and they had opportunities to get on the run but I thought it was really a solid game for us against a team that has given us a lot of troubles,” Dame said.

It was a triple celebration for the Bucks as aside from the win and Giannis’ career-performance, Lillard was also able to move up to fifth spot on the NBA All-time three-point list.

“Great game, great effort. I thought we really played a good game tonight from start to finish. Some milestones, Giannis’ career-high, Dame fifth on all-time threes in the entire NBA, super special night, super proud of our guys,” coach Adrian Griffin said.

Damian Lillard enters the top five on the NBA's all-time three-point list

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.