"This is the space I live in": Damian Lillard sends an iconic message after hitting 35-foot buzzer beater
Damian Lillard just got his first buzzer-beater wearing a Milwaukee Bucks uniform as his team secured an overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Fiserv Forum on January 14. This win helps get the Bucks into a three-game winning streak and improves their record to 27-12.
In the final five seconds of overtime, Damian Lillard inbounded the ball to Brook Lopez and called for it once more. Racing through the midcourt, he was pursued by De'Aaron Fox while Domantas Sabonis was by the three-point line.
With just 2.1 seconds remaining, Lillard pulled up between the Bucks logo and the three-point line successfully making the shot as the buzzer sounded. During the post-game interview, this was just another day in the office for the seven-time NBA All-Star.
"Once the game became one of those moments, I saw it was like four or five seconds down two. They started scrambling a little bit," said Lillard. "Once I saw that open space, I was like this is the space that I live in, you know, the end of the game, an opportunity to come up big-- that's what I'm here for."
Damian Lillard concluded the game with a stat line of 29 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Damian Lillard's 2500th triple comes as an emphatic buzzer-beater
More than just a three-point buzzer-beater, the game-winning shot of Damian Lillard against the Sacramento Kings was also his 2,500th made three-point basket.
This milestone has been accomplished by only five players. The other four were Reggie Miller, James Harden, Ray Allen and Steph Curry. Lillard is now the fifth all-time in three-pointers made in the NBA, trailing Miller by 60.
So far this season, Lillard has averaged 25.1 points, 6.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers and 1.1 steals in the first 36 games of the season with the Milwaukee Bucks. At this pace, he is on pace to overtake Miller as the fourth most-made three-pointers in NBA history by late February.
The 33-year-old point guard adds another milestone to his NBA career that already has a vast resume. Lillard made seven NBA All-Star appearances in 2014, 2015, 2018–2021, and 2023.
He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team in 2018. Additionally, Lillard received recognition with four selections to the All-NBA Second Team (2016, 2019–2021) and two to the All-NBA Third Team (2014, 2023).
Lillard was also included in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and received the NBA Teammate of the Year award in 2021.