Bucks are 22-1 this season when Damian Lillard shoots 50% or better

The Milwaukee Bucks are 22-1 this season in games where Damian Lillard shoots at least 50% overall. In Milwaukee’s 115-108 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night, Lillard recorded his third straight game with 30 or more points.

The eight-time All-Star guard finished 11-of-22 (50%) shooting from the field and 5-of-11 (45.5%) from 3-point range. In addition to making all three free throws, he also tallied three rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals in 37 minutes of action.

Lillard, 33, made two late steals in the Bucks’ victory. The first of those two steals led to the winning basket after the Nets overcame a 20-point deficit to take the lead.

The Bucks and Damian Lillard this season:

🏀 3-0 when Dame scores 40+ points
🏀 16-2 when Dame scores 30+ points
🏀 27-5 when Dame scores 25+ points
🏀 22-1 when Dame shoots 50%+ FG
🏀 9-2 when Dame dishes 10+ assists pic.twitter.com/BnaK51mUya

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 22, 2024

“I think in my career, I haven’t been known as a defender, but down the stretch of games, I’ve always been able to have a moment or do what I needed to do at the end of the game defensively,” said Lillard, who has averaged 31 points and 11.3 assists over his last three games.

Lillard made a steal and found Malik Beasley open for a corner 3-pointer to make the score 106-101 with 1:37 remaining. He secured the victory by scoring the game’s next five points, including a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left.

Milwaukee Bucks are 3-0 when Damian Lillard scores at least 40 points, 16-2 when he scores 30 or more points

“Dame defensively was phenomenal tonight, all game,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s a very competitive guy, and you could see that tonight.”

The win gave the Bucks their first season sweep of the Nets since the 2016-2017 season. It was also Milwaukee’s fifth consecutive win at home, improving to 28-6 at Fiserv Forum this season and 45-25 overall.

“He has the ball in his hands more and the more he has it, the more confident he is to run the team,” Rivers added. “I don’t think Dame has run the team this year, and now he’s running the team with him and Giannis [Antetokounmpo], which I think is a good combination.”

WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO!? pic.twitter.com/JClOpnyN7a

— Bucks Film Room (@BucksFilmRoom) March 21, 2024

The Bucks haven’t lost at home since returning from the All-Star break. Their last home loss came on Feb. 13 against the Miami Heat. Lillard shot just 5-of-14 (35.7%) from the floor and 2-of-7 (28.6%) outside the arc.

Milwaukee’s only loss this season when Lillard shot 50% or better occurred at Boston on Wednesday night. The 12-year veteran shot 11-of-21 (52.5%) from the floor and 6-of-10 (60%) from deep. Plus, he made all four free throws.

Furthermore, the Bucks are 3-0 this season when Lillard scores at least 40 points, 16-2 when he scores 30 or more points, 27-5 when he puts up at least 25 points, and 9-2 when he dishes out 10 or more assists.