Is Damian Lillard playing tonight against the Atlanta Hawks? Latest injury update from Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 29)
Damian Lillard is scheduled to suit up against the Atlanta Hawks. The superstar guard recently joined the Milwaukee Bucks, and his partnership with Giannis Antetokounmpo is already starting to form. Lillard scored 39 points in his regular-season debut for Milwaukee, while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing four assists.
The only player on the Bucks injury report is Khris Middleton, who is listed as "out" due to a calf strain. Besides the star shooter, Milwaukee has a clean bill of health throughout its roster. Lillard and Antetokounmpo will pose a significant threat to the Hawks.
Under Quinn Snyder, Atlanta has embraced a more fluid offense and a sterner defense. However, the Hawks don't project to have the elite defenders required to slow down two superstars who form a fearsome pick-and-roll duo. Now that Lillard is part of the Bucks, teams can't "build a wall" to stop Giannis in transition because they also need to focus on Lillard's exceptional scoring ability.
As such, there will be a transitional period where coaches around the league gather film and data as they look to figure out one of the more difficult puzzles in the NBA: slowing down the star duo. Quinn will get his first chance Sunday.
Jay Williams has high praise for Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo
They've only played one regular-season NBA game together, but Jay Williams already believes Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the best duo in the Eastern Conference, if not the NBA.
Speaking on a recent episode of ESPN's "Get Up," Williams shared his belief that Lillard and Antetokounmpo are a better fit than Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics.
"In one game, Giannis and Dame are more compatible and have less redundancy than the seven-year career of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum," Williams said.
"What you saw on the court, it fits like Jokic and Murray. It fits like LeBron and AD."
Boston and Milwaukee are expected to be on a collision course for an NBA Finals spot later this season. Both teams drastically improved their rosters over the summer and are widely seen as the two best rosters in the Eastern Conference.
With a whole season to go, it may be too soon to crown Lillard and Giannis as the best duo in the NBA. However, on paper, their fit together makes perfect sense and could be as impactful as other star pairings like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant or John Stockton and Karl Malone. Only time will tell whether they can scale those heights.