Lillard to miss game against Wizards with groin straiN

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard won’t play Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards because of a groin strain.

The Bucks issued an injury report Monday that ruled the seven-time all-NBA guard out.

This will be the second straight game that Lillard has missed. He sat out Milwaukee’s 122-113 victory at Atlanta on Saturday for personal reasons.

---

---

The Bucks have gone 1-5 in the games Lillard hasn’t played this season.

Milwaukee’s injury report for Tuesday’s game at Washington also lists two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (left hamstring), Khris Middleton (left ankle sprain) and Patrick Beverley (right wrist sprain) as probable.

READ MORE

A valiant fight fell short.

The Atlanta Hawks looked to keep the win streak rolling in a home matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Neither team had their nominal starting point guard for this one, with Trae Young and Damian Lillard missing tonight’s contest respectively.

The Hawks started hot from deep, hitting four of their first five shots from deep and taking a 12-6 lead at the first timeout. Bogdan Bogdanovic extended his long streak of games with at least one three with this early make.

Atlanta had their hands full trying to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the paint on defense. It would have to be a group effort with neither Jalen Johnson nor Onyeka Okongwu available tonight.

De’Andre Hunter did his best Giannis impression here, however, to finish through contact.

Behind Khris Middleton’s 12 points, the Bucks took the first quarter 33-28.

The Bucks maintained their distance in the second quarter, as the Hawks offense hit the skids with a deep bench unit in. Wes Matthews tried to keep the Hawks close, however, by sacrificing his body for the good of the team.

Still, the Hawks couldn’t snap out of their offensive spiral even once the starters returned. A 0-for-13 stretch from three starting midway in the first quarter until the halftime break was a bad omen.

At halftime, the Bucks had firm command of the game and led 59-45. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 15 points and 10 rebounds by this point.

Atlanta needed to come out of the locker rooms with renewed fire and focus. But like in the first half, the Hawks were not very crisp in the opening minutes of the second half. The Bucks sprinted to a 12-5 run to begin the third quarter, and that spurt put the game in jeopardy of being out of reach.