Going into this past offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks made it a priority to bring in accurate three-point shooters to compliment the penetrating strengths of stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Most notably, general manager Jon Horst brought in sharpshooters Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr.
Feb 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives for the basket against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
And while the Bucks may be just 28-23 (after starting the season 2-8), their three-point shooting, overall, has not been a disappointment. Prince ranks fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage with 45.6% and Trent is 14th with 42.8%.
Indeed, the Bucks (like every NBA team) are at their best when their shooters are making their shots. Such was the case on Sunday in their 135-127 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Milwaukee Bucks Sharpshooters Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. Make Franchise History vs the Philadelphia 76ers
Feb 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) shoots during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch
Playing without Giannis, who will be out for “weeks” with a calf strain (the same injury that kept him out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs last year), Lillard took over the game and dictated everything that happened on the court.
He finished with 43 points, seven, eight assists, and two steals while shooting 14/27 from the field (8/15 from three) and 7/7 from the line.
Trent Jr., who came off the bench as he has for most of the season, scored 23 points, a season-high, to go with six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He shot 7/20 from the floor (7/15 from three) and was 2/3 from the line.
Per the Bucks, Lillard and Trent became the first pair of teammates in franchise history to both have seven made three pointers in the same game:
Led by Lillard and Trent, Milwaukee had a season-high 24 three-point shots made in their win over Philadelphia.
AJ Green, who is 13th in the NBA in three-point percentage with 42.9%, made two of his four attempts and scored 11 points. Bobby Portis was 2/3 from down town off the bench while posting a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds (to go with five assists).
Newcomer Kyle Kuzma played his first game in front of the home crowd and got his first start with the Bucks. He had 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block. He was 1/6 from three.
Brook Lopez finished his night with 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks while going 2/5 from beyond the arc. Prince was just 2/7 from three, but had 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Ryan Rollins was the only other Bucks player who saw the floor, and he played for just four minutes, scoring two points and dishing out three assists in that time.
It will be interesting to see how the older Bucks respond to their heavy minutes load from Sunday when they take on the Golden State Warriors (and their new star Jimmy Butler) tomorrow night.