Damian Lillard debuts with 39 points, closes out Bucks’ win

MILWAUKEE — Since the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade a month ago, they have encouraged their new superstar to be himself on the court, especially urging him to take control late match.

So Lillard’s Bucks debut Thursday night went exactly as the team envisioned. He scored 39 points – a record for points in a franchise debut – including the team’s final 11 points in the fourth quarter to help Milwaukee seal a 118–117 season-opening victory over the 76ers from Philadelphia.

“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 encourage me to be the person who takes control, makes decisions and decides what’s going to happen in those moments -there.”

Milwaukee trailed 104-102 with four minutes remaining when Lillard took over. He scored 14 points in the last four minutes, almost single-handedly matching the Sixers’ result (15 points).

Lillard put the game almost out of reach with a step-back 30-foot 3-pointer to Kelly Oubre Jr. with 1:13 left, icing the game in his own way.

“It’s a look I’ll wear seven days a week,” Lillard said. “It was a shot of comfort.”

“At the end of the day, he had the hot hand and you have to continue to feed it. You have to continue with what works,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

“A guy who can make plays down the stretch. A guy who’s going to lead the team. A guy who’s going to make shots, put us in the right position. A guy who’s going to be aggressive throughout the game , create for himself . He was amazing today.

The Bucks have been one of the best teams in the NBA in recent years, winning more regular season games than any other team since the start of the 2018-19 season. But their crunch-time offense has never been a strength — they were 18th in the NBA in offensive rating during the clutch stretch of the 2022-23 season.

Consider Lillard’s performance Thursday night compared to the fourth quarter of Milwaukee’s Game 5 loss to the Miami Heat that ended last season for the Bucks, when the entire team combined for 16 points during the fourth quarter.

“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 in one of their first conversations after the trade. “We know that’s what you do, and that’s what we need you to do here.”

It was the first time in Lillard’s 11-year career that he didn’t start the season with the Portland Trail Blazers, a reality he said still seems strange to him. For years, Lillard had made a habit of coming to the arena on game days, getting to know every member of the staff and even recognizing longtime season ticket holders in the stands.

He admitted Thursday’s opener almost felt like a road game as he still adjusts to his new surroundings.

“But I came here to be part of the victory,” he said. “I’m starting to settle in because of the way I’ve been welcomed.”

Once the match started, Lillard noticed another difference, but this one was a positive development. For years in Portland, he felt he had to take on all the responsibilities: calling the plays, speaking out about what was happening on the field. But early in the first quarter, he noticed veterans such as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez directing traffic and possessions where he could simply feed Antetokounmpo and let the two-time MVP get to work.

“Man, this is going to help me be stronger for full games instead of wearing me out sometimes,” Lillard said. “I can kind of, I don’t want to say relaxed, but I don’t have to be so blunt all the time.”

At least not until the Bucks need it. If everything seemed abnormal for Lillard before the game, things seemed familiar in the way it ended, with the ball in his hands leading his team to victory.

“Lady is Lady. We knew what we were going to get when we got it,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “Dame played a really smart game in that he knew when he needed to take over. You could see [Lillard and Antetokounmpo] complemented each other there. It really is.

“It’s only going to get better. It’s just one game, it takes time to build that chemistry. We showed flashes of what was to come.”