The Damian Lillard NBA Cup moment Giannis 'loved' so much

Yesterday at 08:53 PM

After a disaster start to the 2024-25 season, the Milwaukee Bucks have turned things around quickly. Now, just a few weeks after sitting in the basement of the Eastern Conference the Bucks find themselves playing some of the best basketball in the NBA and battling for an NBA Cup championship on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

The Bucks almost didn’t even make it to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. Their final group stage game, against the Detroit Pistons, decided who topped the Bucks’ group and earned a spot in the quarterfinals, and the Pistons were poised to win it. Then, point guard Damian Lillard stepped in during a timeout with some motivational words that helped lift the Bucks to a victory.

Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo gained a new affection for Lillard after his vocal leadership helped the Bucks get through a very difficult game and into the last eight of the tournament, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“I heard him multiple times saying, ‘This is where we assert ourselves. This is where we put teams away,'” Antetokounmpo said, per Collier. “This is where we become the team that we’re trying to become … I loved it. I loved it when he said that.”

Antetokounmpo has emerged as a leading MVP candidate this season as the Bucks have caught fire since their terrible start to the season. Milwaukee is 8-2 in its last 10 games and quickly rising up the standings in the Eastern Conference.

For a while, it looked like the Lillard and Antetokounmpo partnership wasn’t going to work. After injuries to both of the Bucks stars ruined their chances of making a deep playoff run last season, the team looked to be below the level needed to compete with the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks. However, this recent stretch proves that the Bucks can find that level when they need it.

Lillard isn’t quite playing at the truly elite level that his prime self did, but he is having a very good bounce back year after a frustrating 2023-24. The former Portland Trail Blazers star is averaging 25.7 points and 7.5 assists per game. Antetokounmpo is having another historic year and is one of the early contenders for the MVP with an absurd 32.7 point, 11.5 rebound stat line on a nightly basis.

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