Bucks' Doc Rivers Reveals How Damian Lillard Ruined Bobby Portis' Triple Double Bid

The perpetual Sixth Man of the Year candidate had a night to remember in a Bucks blowout Saturday.

Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) reach for the ball in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Veteran power forward/center Bobby Portis, the Milwaukee Bucks' perpetual Sixth Man of the Year candidate (he's finished third in voting across each of the past two seasons), had a night to remember in a Bucks blowout of the lowly Washington Wizards on Saturday.

The 112-101 Milwaukee victory was made all the more impressive by the fact that the Bucks were their two All-Stars — power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard. In a well-balanced attack, no starter played even 32 minutes.

Portis, starting for Antetokounmpo, played the most, 31:44, while seemingly draping himself all over the hardwood. He was just two assists shy of a triple-double, but still notched 34 points (his best-ever mark as a Buck) on 14-of-21 shooting from the field (6-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc), 10 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block.

Apparently, while watching off the bench, Lillard at one point had informed Portis he was in triple-double terrain — which totally threw off the 6-foot-10 Arkansas product's playing rhythm.

"If Dame hadn't have told (Bobby) that he had two assists left for a triple-double, he probably would have gotten a triple double," head coach Doc Rivers acknoweldged, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Thanks to his efforts against Washington, Portis may have helped cement his spot as a favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year again — along with Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard and Sacramento Kings shooting guard Malik Monk.

Across 26 contests, the floor-spacing 29-year-old is averaging 13.7 points on .490/.400/.724 shooting splits, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists a night this season, while serving as a critical contributor to an East contender. To win the Sixth Man of the Year honor, putting up numbers while playing on a good club is imperative. Which is why eye-popping stat lines can help someone's cause.

“He definitely messed me up. (laughs) I looked up, I had eight assists," Portis said (per Nehm), when alerted to Rivers' theory that Lillard was to blame on his narrowly missing out. "And you know me, eight assists crazyyy. I got eight? I said, ‘Hold on, I gotta DHO and try to find it.’ Threw my whole rhythm off for real, but it’s all good.”

With the win, the Bucks improved to a 15-13 record on the season. The 13-13 Miami Heat's loss to the 18-12 Orlando Magic on Friday night also moved Miami into the East's No. 5 seed, while allowing Milwaukee to reach the top four at last.

Next up for Milwaukee is a Monday tilt against the team that drafted Portis in 2015, the Chicago Bulls.

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