Bucks extend win streak despite missing Giannis Antetokounmpo

MILWAUKEE — Despite not having a star Giannis Antetokounmpo due to tendinitis of the left Achilles tendon, the milwaukee dollars They came together for a Victory 113-106 about him Los Angeles Clippers Monday night that extended their winning streak to six games.

Damian Lillard scored 41 points on 12 of 22 shooting, while Bobby Portis He added 28 points and 16 rebounds off the bench as the Bucks overcame a 15-point second-half deficit.

“It just shows who we’re becoming,” Lillard said. “Nobody talked about who wouldn’t play before the game… it just shows what’s expected, the standard we’re starting to have and who we’re becoming as a team.”

Down 15 points with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, the Bucks rallied to outscore the Clippers by 22 the rest of the way. It was Milwaukee’s fourth 15-point comeback victory this season and second since Doc Rivers took over as coach.

“We just trusted each other,” Lillard said. “Defensively, we’ve relied on our communication. We’ve relied on the next player to do their job, and the same thing offensively… Because our team is seeing the results we’re getting by playing that way, even when we’re not doing well in some moments of the game, we trust it. “It just comes back in our favor.”

This was just the third time the Bucks played without Antetokounmpo this season, and the first since Jan. 17. Milwaukee was also without a forward. Chris Middletonwho has been sidelined since spraining his ankle on February 6 in Phoenix.

Rivers wasn’t sure if any of them would be ready to play when the Bucks begin a three-city, four-game West Coast trip Wednesday in Golden state.

During his pregame availability, Rivers said Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.8 points on a career-best 61.9% shooting, has been dealing with the Achilles injury over the past few games.

Antetokounmpo took the court to perform his usual pregame shooting routine hours before Monday’s game, but stopped a couple of times to stretch his legs. Finally, he interrupted his routine and returned to the locker room.

“It’s been up and down the last two or three games,” Rivers said. “This morning he really looked good…we’ll find out from there.”

Middleton has been out for almost a month, but Rivers has maintained that his ankle is improving. The Bucks hope he can return at some point during their upcoming tour.

“He’s just not ready,” Rivers said before the game. “Close…but again, if it’s not 100% for us, we’re just not willing to push it now. There’s no need to.”