Damian Lillard returning from his right calf soreness has led to the Bucks going 2-0 in that span. Coincidentally, Milwaukee is also 2-0 in In-Season Tournament Group Play following their win tonight against the Charlotte Hornets. Dame, who seems to be getting his legs back, dropped 27 points on yet another 9-18 night from the field. When asked about the win, he talked about why it was important to get one on the road.
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“Any time you can get some roadkill, it’s always good for your team. But like you said, in this In-Season tournament, we want to be able to win all these games and give ourselves the opportunity in the end.”
“When you execute like that with the depth that we have, you are going to have a lot of quality wins.”
Damian Lillard with @SwatsonTV after his 27-point performance in the win over the Hornets. 🔊#FearTheDeer | #NBA | @Paysbig pic.twitter.com/298L5XL5mD
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) November 18, 2023
Getting a win on the road is something every team looks forward to. The Hornets tonight, integrating Miles Bridges into the lineup, didn’t look like a cohesive unit in the slightest, leading to the incredibly lopsided 130-99 score.
Dame would also go on to cheekily talk about the dunk he had on his drive to the lane in the 3rd quarter with about 7:26 left.
“My legs are getting there man. I keeping telling people I had a long summer. I didn’t get much live contact. That’s usually the last thing to come, you get your legs under you in a game.”
Damian Lillard wants to win the In-Season tournament for a noble reason
Damian Lillard is a leader through and through with the way he approaches the game of basketball. That leadership on the court is reflected off the court as well. A perfect example is with him talking about why the Milwaukee Bucks want to win the In-Season Tournament.
“You got guys on 2-way contracts who are trying to earn a stay and that prize in the end could change their family’s lives. Even if it’s not for you individually, it’s something that you could do for the next person.”
Damian Lillard wants that In-Season Tournament prize money… but mostly for teammates who are not so well off financially: “You got guys on two-way contracts who are trying to earn a stay and that prize in the end could change their family’s lives.” pic.twitter.com/AQSaQDyQcQ
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) November 16, 2023
This couldn’t get closer to the truth. $500,000 might not be a lot of money to someone like Damian Lillard or Giannis Antetokounmpo when you proportion it to their $200 million+ contracts. However, having the 13th guy on the bench receive that same amount of money would undoubtedly mean a whole lot more for them.
