With under 90 seconds to go in the Bucks’ 118–117 win over the 76ers in their season opener, Milwaukee was reeling after seven straight points from Philly had cut the lead to two. Over their last few possessions, the Bucks had gotten bogged down in the half court, an all too familiar sight.
What happened next was brand new: Damian Lillard bailed them out.
Matched up one-on-one with Kelly Oubre Jr., Lillard waved away any potential screeners and instead went to work in isolation, pulling up for a contested three and cashing it, giving the Bucks a five-point cushion en route to their eventual victory.
Lillard paid immediate dividends for Milwaukee in his first regular season game, scoring 39 points, hitting four of his 12 threes and getting to the free-throw line 17 times. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23, happily playing second fiddle during crunch time.
Despite the 118 points, the Bucks’ offense didn’t always look crisp Thursday. There was a second-quarter stretch when Lillard went on a run, feasting against Philly’s backups as Milwaukee ran a high Horns set on several possessions in a row. Otherwise, the half-court attack looked clunky for stretches. Those hoping for a steady diet of Dame-Giannis pick-and-rolls were left wanting more, as Milwaukee tried to work in other screeners and other actions. A lot of the group’s offense came from offensive rebounds and getting out in transition.
The reason the Bucks needed Dame, though, was for what he did in the waning moments. Too often in the past, when the offense stagnated, Giannis was expected to go one-on-five and drive into a wall of defenders to make something happen. Late in the fourth, Lillard either extended the Sixers’ defense out near half court, or created for himself. That new dimension hurt Philly in crunch time, as Lillard simply overmatched the Sixers with his individual brilliance.
That second quarter stretch was important, too. Adrian Griffin staggered Lillard and Antetokounmpo quite a bit in their first game, and expect that to continue until the postseason. Dame-led second units give the Bucks a chance to build a lead, as opposed to simply maintaining one with Giannis off the floor, and that contributed to Milwaukee heading into halftime with a nine-point advantage Thursday.
Again, things weren’t perfect, but that can’t be expected this early in the season. Khris Middleton played only 16 minutes, and Griffin will likely continue to tinker with the rotation, especially with regards to the fifth starter. (It was Malik Beasley in game one.)
Opponents will also likely be more creative in how they try to attack Lillard defensively in the coming months, though Milwaukee certainly won’t be caught off guard by that thought process. For now, if you somehow needed any explanation as to why Milwaukee made this move, Lillard provided some compelling reasoning in his first real game. When all else fails for the Bucks, Dame can get them big buckets in a way very few other players in this league are capable of.
