Bucks’ Damian Lillard Gives Knicks Backhanded Compliment

Dame Time took on a somber tone after a loss to the New York Knicks.

Damian Lillard is one of the headliners of the Milwaukee Bucks’ dreary start to the 2024-25 season, one exacerbated by a 116-94 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Lillard was one of the relative bright spots (19 points with six rebounds and assists each), but frustration may have boiled over in the postgame when Lillard was asked about falling to a team like New York.

“They’re a good team. I mean, it ain’t like we went in there and played against the [Miami] Heat when LeBron [James] went there,” Lillard said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “They made some changes. They were a good team last year. They’re a good team this year.”

Lillard didn’t specify exactly what brought up such a comparison, but one can surmise that he was comparing the Knicks’ offseason to that of Miami’s in 2011. Over that summer, the Heat added James and Chris Bosh to form a formidable triumvirate with Dwyane Wade. Their four-year collaboration yielded two NBA titles and two further appearances in the NBA Finals.

While generating nowhere near as much hype as the acquisitions of Bosh and James, the Knicks were pegged by some as one of the top challengers to Boston’s Eastern crown by adding the services of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns to a team headlined by Jalen Brunson.

Even if the Knicks fail to reach the championship heights of James’ South Beach groups, Friday’s game hinted that Lillard is hardly in any place to judge: Milwaukee never led at MSG and fell behind by as much as 30 before benches emptied. Beyond Lillard and fellow franchise face Giannis Antetokounmpo, no Buck reached double-figures beyond rookie Tyler Smith, who scored 10 when the game was long-decided. Towns and Bridges united for 49 points, with the former securing a double-double for the seventh straight game with 32 and 11 rebounds.

The reeling Bucks (2-7) are off to their worst start since the 2013-14 campaign and are 21-30 since head coach Doc Rivers took over just before last season’s midway point (including a six-game loss to the Indiana Pacers in last postseason’s opening round).

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