Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard struggled but “felt good” in return from a two-game absence

Lillard looks for form in return from a two-game absence.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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Damian Lillard returned from a two-game absence, and although he had a subpar game, the Milwaukee Bucks still found a way to defeat the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, 118-109, at the Fiserv Forum.

Lillard played for 32 minutes in his return but struggled to get into a good rhythm and finished with only 12 points on a poor 3-for-17 shooting night from the field. Dame also had five turnovers and shot 1-for-9 from the three-point line, although he had three rebounds and five assists.

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Giannis, Bobby to the rescue

Milwaukee still ended up beating Chicago largely because of the stellar games of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr.

Giannis finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds, while Portis had his own double-double of 19 points and 10 boards.

A welcome return

The seven-time All-Star Lillard sat for two straight games due to calf soreness. The Bucks lost both bouts without the veteran shooter. Although he struggled on the floor against the Bulls, Lillard said he “felt good” in his return.

“I felt pretty good. If I didn't feel good enough to play, I wouldn't have played. But I think any time you miss time, especially when you're already kind of behind, to begin with, it's going to have some sort of effect. But given the circumstances, I felt pretty good,” said Lillard.

Lillard has already missed three regular season games. Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in a major offseason deal, Lillard is averaging 33.7 minutes this season and is good for 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

Damian Lillard says their patience is being tested early in the season

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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.