On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a humiliating 123-97 defeat at the hand of a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat and lost ground on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the race for the second spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks can bounce back from that uninspired performance with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies in their final game before the All-Star weekend on Thursday. However, Lillard’s availability for the game is unclear after he popped up on the team’s injury list as ‘probable’.
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Young forward Nikola Jovic led the Heat in scoring with 24, while center Bam Adebayo recorded a triple-double in only 31 minutes to help their side to an emphatic win.
Giannis Antetokoumpo was the only Bucks player to score at least 20 points. He finished the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Superstar guard Damian Lillard had a poor shooting night, as he sunk only five of his 14 shot attempts and only two of seven from beyond the arc.
The veteran guard is reportedly suffering from left ankle inflammation. He is a right-handed shooter and uses his left leg to get elevation every time he attempts a jump shot. A left ankle inflammation may not sideline him for multiple games but can cause discomfort, which could affect the shooting motion.
Despite the injury, Lillard has been listed as probable and will likely play against the Grizzlies in the Bucks’ last game before heading to Indiana for the All-Star weekend.
Damian Lillard’s downturn in form
When the Bucks landed Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade in the 2023 offseason, the common consensus was that he would form a Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-like duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, those predictions were wildly off the mark.
Lillard’s numbers have dipped tremendously since joining the Bucks. He averaged 32.2 points last season, but his scoring rate has dipped to 24.6 per game. Despite having Antetokounmpo to feed the ball to, his assists average has gone down from 7.3 to 6.7. Moreover, his shooting percentages have also spiraled with a fourth-lowest career field goal percentage of 42.5 and a third-worst 34.4% conversion rate from beyond the arc.
Since Doc Rivers has taken over as the team’s head coach, Lillard has seemingly checked out. He’s averaging a meager 20.7 points, 6.3 assists, and three rebounds per game. They are 3-6 under the former NBA title-winning head coach.
Lillard will start for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game, but given his numbers, his selection seems unjustified. He has been underwhelming, and his numbers are dipping further. The Bucks will hope they can start afresh after the All-Star break and their superstar guard can find his form and rhythm and put their season back on track.
