There may have been some nervous moments for the Milwaukee Bucks in their NBA Cup quarterfinals clash against the Orlando Magic especially when Jalen Suggs appeared to have the iron will to lead his team to victory, but in the end, it was Damian Lillard and the Bucks that came out on top, 114-109. Lillard had a couple big shots for the Bucks in the clutch, with Dame Time coming to fruition with a game-tying triple and a go-ahead layup being enough for Milwaukee to advance to the semifinals.
The Bucks may be the most consistent team throughout the existence of the NBA Cup thus far (named the NBA In-Season Tournament in 2023). They also made it to the knockout stages last year, although they did fall flat in Las Vegas after the Indiana Pacers snatched their chain with a 128-119 semifinals victory. But this year, Lillard and the Bucks are making sure that their past demons won't be coming back to haunt them.
“We didn't have the greatest experience [in the semifinals in Las Vegas] last year. I think all of us are thinking, going back and finishing what we started last year and doing it right this time,” Lillard told Melanie Ricks of Fanduel Sports Wisconsin in his postgame interview.
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The Bucks have indeed been playing much better basketball as of late, and it helps that Khris Middleton is back, contributing in a multitude of ways even though his shot isn't falling quite yet. The road ahead remains difficult, however, as either the New York Knicks or Atlanta Hawks, the teams on the other side of the NBA Cup quarterfinal bracket, should pose a major threat to the Bucks later this weekend.
Damian Lillard gets honest on the Bucks' struggles in 2024
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Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) looks to pass
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The weight of expectations can be very heavy for some to bear. For the Bucks, they were certainly being made fun of by many fans to start the year as they fell all the way down in the East standings. But Damian Lillard acknowledged that their struggles have instilled in them a resolve that should help them finish the job in the NBA Cup this time around.
“I think last year, we were probably expected to go. This year, we had a little bit of adversity. We struggled a bit to start the season and now we're getting ourselves going. We fought for this one. This one's a bit different,” Lillard added.