Damian Lillard will be glad the Milwaukee Bucks won in his absence.
The 34-year-old was subject to criticism after sitting out Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with the All-Star weekend looming.
Pressure was already high on the Bucks going into the game with Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo missing his sixth straight match.
So when Lillard was also ruled out prior to tip off, expectations for Milwaukee were already low.
However, the Bucks rallied as a team and battled to a 103-101 win in Minnesota after new signing Kyle Kuzma scored 19 points and registered 13 rebounds.
It leaves Milwaukee fifth in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break before they return to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 20.
Despite the win, some fans have been left with a sour taste over Lillard’s decision to miss the game.
Ahead of the match, ESPN reported that the star would still participate in the NBA‘s All-Star Weekend in San Francisco this week.
This means Lillard will play in Saturday’s 3-point contest and Sunday’s new look competition despite a hamstring soreness that ruled him out of Wednesday’s match.
Lillard is a two-time winner of the 3-point shootout and is committed to defending his title, ESPN also added.
Sunday’s game will also be the point guard’s ninth All-Star appearance and is looking to replace the performance that saw him named last year’s MVP.
With so much on the line for Lillard, some fans have understood his desire to participate in All-Star weekend but others have argued he has wrongly prioritised the festivities over a Bucks game.
“So game that counts out but scrimmage in? Make it make sense,” one fan posted on X.
“Looks like he has priorities in line. Smh,” wrote another.
“What a joke this league is,” another stated.
“PATHETIC!!! Give the fans back their money,” one fan wrote.
In fairness to Lillard, the All-Star game is not the most physical game although with the new format featuring four teams playing in a mini-tournament, there is arguably a different risk attached to the game.
Ultimately, Bucks’ fans will attentively watch Lillard’s performance in both the 3-point contest and the All-Star game and hope he comes out of the weekend fully healthy.
