May 31, 2024
Lilliard was an outstanding player in last night’s game against the 76ers, he said that this season opening seemed a bit different than the others since he was adjusting to transferring teams for the first time. But the results he produced were familiar to everyone who had followed the seven-time All-NBA guard during his 11 years in Portland.
Lillard scored 39 points as the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-117 on Thursday night. Lillard recorded the most points in a Bucks debut, topping Terry Cummings’ 34 in 1984.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 10 of 22 from the field to become the franchise’s career leader in baskets. Antetokounmpo has 5,905 career field goals, whereas Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 5,902 with the Bucks from 1969 to 1975. Tyrese Maxey had 31 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27, and Joel Embiid had 24 for the 76ers.
Lillard demanded a trade in the summer and ended up in Milwaukee, which gave up two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and a lot of draft capital to get him.
Lillard came up huge down the stretch, scoring 11 points for Milwaukee.
“He had the hot hand,” Antetokounmpo remarked. “You simply have to keep feeding him. You must stick to what works.”
Lillard’s 3-pointer with 3:41 left gave the Bucks a 105-104 lead. Antetokounmpo collected an offensive rebound following his own miss and found Lillard free beyond the arc. His shot sparked an 11-0 run that gave Milwaukee a nine-point advantage with 2:45 left. The 76ers scored seven consecutive baskets to cut the lead to two, but Lillard responded with another 3-pointer with 1:13 remaining.
After Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game again, Lillard drove to the hoop, drew a foul, and sunk two game-winning free throws with 11.5 seconds remaining. Lillard hit all 17 of his free throw attempts.
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