On Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 113-106, earning their sixth consecutive victory despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence with 41 points from Damian Lillard.

Due to left Achilles tendonitis, Antetokounmpo missed his third game of the year. His only previous absences were in a victory over Toronto on November 15 due to a strained right calf and a defeat to Cleveland on January 17 due to a bruised right shoulder.

Achilles has been “on and off for the last two or three games,” according to Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who made this announcement prior to the game.

With its current level of play, Milwaukee can win even without its two-time MVP.

As they prepare to embark on a four-game trip to California that begins on Wednesday at Golden State and includes a rematch with the Clippers on Sunday, the Bucks are undefeated since the All-Star break.

Bobby Portis ended with a season-high 16 rebounds and scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. In addition to scoring 12 points, Patrick Beverley started the winning surge.

Paul George and James Harden both scored 29 points to lead the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard put in 16 more points.

The Bucks scored ten points in a row to close the third-quarter deficit after trailing by 13 points with one minute remaining. With 4:33 remaining, Beverley’s 3-pointer gave them a last point, tying the score at 96.

When the Clippers got the ball back, Beverley stole it from Harden, setting up Lillard for a driving layup with 4:10 left to give the Bucks their first lead since the first quarter.

A.J. Green made a deep 3-pointer with Brook Lopez blocking Leonard’s driving layup attempt to make it 101-96. The final four points of the 12-0 run to put the Bucks ahead for good were scored by Portis.

With 1:31 remaining, the Clippers cut the advantage to five, but Portis scored five points in a row to give the Bucks a double-digit lead again, and they never looked back.