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Jamal Collier, ESPN
MILWAUKEE — Since the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade one month ago, they have encouraged him to be himself on the floor, especially in taking control late in games. Lillard’s debut for the Bucks on Thursday night went exactly as planned. He scored 39 points, setting a record for points in a first game with the franchise, and scored the team’s final 11 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-117 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener.
“I’ve had enough conversations with guys, especially with Giannis [Antetokounmpo], that I came in knowing what was expected of me,” Lillard said after the game. “They’re encouraging me to be the person to take control, make decisions and decide what’s going to happen in those moments.”
With four minutes remaining, Milwaukee was trailing the 76ers 104-102 when Lillard took over. He scored 14 points in the final four minutes, nearly matching the Sixers’ output of 15 points by himself.
Lillard sealed the game with a 30-foot step-back 3-pointer over Kelly Oubre Jr. with 1:13 remaining, a shot he referred to as a “comfort shot.”
“At the end of the day, he had the hot hand and you’ve got to keep on feeding it. You’ve got to keep going with what works,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds. “A guy that can make plays down the stretch. A guy that’s going to lead the team. A guy that’s going to make shots, put us in the right position. A guy that’s going to be aggressive throughout the whole game, create for himself. He was unbelievable today.”
In recent years, the Bucks have been one of the NBA’s top teams, winning more regular-season games than any other team since the start of the 2018-19 season. However, their performance in clutch situations has been a weakness, ranking 18th in offensive rating during clutch time in the 2022-23 season.
Comparing Lillard’s performance in the final stretch of Thursday’s game to Milwaukee’s Game 5 loss to the Miami Heat last season, where the entire team scored only 16 points in the fourth quarter, highlights the impact Lillard brings to the team.
“I’m going to do what I do, and I want you to do what you do; you close out games,” Lillard recalled Antetokounmpo telling him. “We know that’s what you do, and that’s what we need you to do here.”
This season marks the first time in Lillard’s 11-year career that he is not starting with the Portland Trail Blazers, a change that still feels strange to him. He admitted that Thursday’s opener felt almost like a road game as he adjusts to his new surroundings.
“But I came here to be a part of winning,” he said. “I’m starting to settle in just by how I’ve been embraced.”
Once the game began, Lillard noticed a positive difference. In Portland, he often felt he needed to shoulder all the responsibility, calling plays and directing the team on the court. However, in Milwaukee, he observed veterans like Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez taking charge, allowing him to rely on Antetokounmpo’s abilities.
“Man, this is going to help me be stronger for complete games instead of wearing down sometimes,” Lillard said. “I can kind of, I don’t want to say relax, but I don’t have to be so out front all the time.”
At least not until the Bucks need him to be. While the lead-up to the game felt unfamiliar, the way it ended with Lillard leading his team to victory felt familiar and reassured the Bucks of the star player they acquired.
“Dame is Dame. We knew what we were getting when we got him,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “Dame played a really smart game as far as, he knew when he had to take over. You could see [Lillard and Antetokounmpo] complemented each other out there. They really do.
“It’s only going to get better. It’s just one game. It takes time to build that chemistry. We showed flashes of what’s to come.”
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