Cornerstone Shift in Milwaukee? Damian Lillard Shines As Bucks’ New Force, Raising Doubts on Giannis’ Dominance

It was 1971 when a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship. Fast forward over 50 years, and the city of Milwaukee witnessed another giant lead them to basketball glory once again. This time, the 26-year-old “Greek Freak,” Giannis Antetokounmpo, steered the Bucks to their 2nd championship. While the Bucks have struggled to maintain championship form since their 2021 win, the arrival of Damian Lillard has lit up a new fire.

Recent stats tweeted by Basketball Forever raise questions about Giannis’ dominance in the Bucks. Notably, Milwaukee lost 5 games with Giannis playing while Lillard was sidelined. On the flip side, they went 3-1 when Lillard suited up and Giannis took a break. So, is Damian Lillard the secret recipe the Bucks have been missing? Or perhaps is the partnership of Dame and the Greek Freak the secret sauce to the Bucks’ championship run?

The Milwaukee Bucks overcame the absence of their star Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG) with a scorching display of three-point shooting to defeat the Phoenix Suns 140-129 tonight. Giannis sat out with a sore hamstring on Sunday, but the Bucks decided to put on a three-point shooting clinic anyway, torching the Suns. He has missed his 4th game of the season and 1st since March 4, when he was out with Achilles tendinitis and guess what, the Bucks won every time except for one.

Giannis Goes Down, Damian Comes Up

Stepping into the spotlight, Damian Lillard filled the void (and then some) with a monster double-double of 31 points and a career-tying 16 assists. Joining the party was Bobby Portis, who came off the bench to match Lillard’s point total with 31 points, adding 10 rebounds in just 13 minutes. His efficiency was remarkable, going 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and 10-of-13 from the field overall. Between Dame and Bobby, they had a staggering 62 points!

The Bucks rained 3’s all night, connecting on a franchise-record tying 24 of their 41 attempts from downtown. Khris Middleton, returning from a 16-game absence due to an ankle sprain, chipped in with 22 points. This barrage of 3’s was crucial to overpower the high-powered Suns offense led by Bradley Beal (28 points), Grayson Allen (25 points), and Devin Booker (23 points).

The win puts the Bucks back in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re also riding high on recent wins against the Clippers (113-106) and the Raptors (128-112), both without Giannis but with Dame leading the charge. Next up, the Boston Celtics on March 21st. So, are the Bucks better off without Giannis? Or will the Greek Freak and Dame become the league’s most unstoppable duo to lead their team to the championship? Stay tuned to find out more!

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