Damian Lillard scored 41 points as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to beat the LA Clippers and extend their winning streak to six games.
Trailing by 15 points in the third quarter, the hosts outscored their opponents by 22 points to secure a 113-106 victory, and they did it without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is sidelined with Achilles tendinitis.
“It just shows who we’re becoming,” Lillard said. “Nobody talked about who wasn’t playing before the game, that just shows what’s expected, the standard that we’re starting to have, and who we’re becoming as a team.”
‘It’s our time now’ – Celtics thrash Warriors for 11th straight NBA win’It’s our time now’ – Celtics thrash Warriors for 11th straight NBA win
NBA
‘IT’S OUR TIME NOW’ – CELTICS THRASH WARRIORS FOR 11TH STRAIGHT NBA WIN
YESTERDAY AT 09:12
The Clippers, led by Paul George and James Harden, who both finished the game with 29 points, took control early at the Fiserv Forum, leading 55-48 at half-time before extending that advantage.
But spurred on by Lillard and Bobby Portis Jr’s 28-point contribution, the Bucks completed their fourth 15-point comeback of the season and second since Doc Rivers took over.
“We just trusted each other,” Lillard added. “Defensively, we’ve trusted our communication. We’ve depended on the next guy to do his job, and the same offensively.
“Because our team is seeing the results that we’re getting from playing that way, even when it’s not going our way at points in the game, we trust it. It’s just coming back in our favour.”
The result kept the Bucks (41-21) above the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-21) in second in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Clippers (39-21) stay fourth in the Western Conference after missing the chance to close the gap to the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder above.
At the top of the WC, Rudy Gobert recorded 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves battled to a 119-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to snap a two-game losing streak.
Green reveals defensive plan was made just 15 minutes before blowout loss
‘It’s our time now’ – Celtics thrash Warriors for 11th straight NBA win
LeBron James’ LA Lakers inflicted a second defeat in three on the Thunder, who slipped to second in the WC. James scored 19 points and nearly completed a triple-double, while the attack was led by D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis, who scored 26 and 24 points respectively.
Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls stormed back from 91-77 down to beat the Sacramento Kings. Coby White scored 37 points and DeMar DeRozan added another 33 as the Bulls outscored the Kings 36-18 in the fourth quarter to complete a 113-109 win.
Jordan Clarkson (38-10-7) starred for Utah Jazz in a 127-115 triumph over the Washington Wizards, while the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-102.
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