Damian Lillard, Bucks Dominate New-Look 76ers in Season Opener

Is it Dame Time in Milwaukee at last?

Oct 23, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) dribbles past Philadelphia 76ers forward Caleb Martin (16) and Bucks Brook Lopez (11) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

At the start of his second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, eight-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard finally looked like his Portland Trail Blazers-era All-NBA self.

The 6-foot-2 vet led Milwaukee to a dominant 124-109 blowout victory of the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, on the road at Wells Fargo Center. Granted, Philadelphia was playing without All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are so injury-prone they appear to have decided to get a head start this year by missing what would have been the first-ballot Hall of Famers' regular season debut as teammates.

Still, Lillard won his matchup against fellow All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey quite handily, scoring 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor (6-of-12 from long range) and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, while also grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out six assists (against three turnovers), and notching a game-most +19 plus-minus on the night.

Maxey still submitted a prolific-if-inefficient stat line, scoring 25 points on 10-of-31 shooting from the field (2-of-9 from 3-point land) and 3-of-4 shooting from the foul line. The 6-foot-2 Kentucky product also pulled down six rebounds, passed for three assists, swiped one steal and blocked a shot in 39 minutes.

The two teams started the night out on relatively even footing, with the Sixers leading by a point after one quarter, 23-22. The Bucks proceed to blow the game open in the succeeding two frames, outscoring Philadelphia 78-58 from the second through third quarters. Milwaukee held Philadelphia off in a relatively even fourth frame.

With starting small forward Khris Middleton — a former three-time All-Star — still recuperating from his offseason foot surgeries, newly-signed veteran's minimum addition Taurean Prince drew the start at the three. He acquitted himself admirably, scoring 16 points on a hyper-efficient 6-of-7 shooting from the field (4-of-5 from beyond the arc), while also grabbing five boards and passing for three assists. All-NBA Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was his typically excellent self, logging 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 9-of-16 shooting from the foul line, grabbing 14 rebounds, passing for seven assists, and blocking one shot. Fellow starters Brook Lopez (10 points on a lackluster 3-of-11 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe) and Gary Trent Jr. (11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line) also scored in double digits, as did sixth man power forward/center Bobby Portis (16 points).

The Bucks had respectable field goal shooting rates, going 43-of-80 from the field (53.7 percent), which included a stellar 16-of-37 from 3-point land (43.2 percent). Milwaukee also shot 22-of-31 from the foul line overall, an advantage over the Sixers' 27 charity stripe attempts on the latter's home court. The Bucks enjoyed a massive edge in assists, 27-18.

In perhaps the only ominous stat of the night, the Sixers' depth and the Bucks' lack thereof were also on full display, as Philadelphia outscored Milwaukee 48-32 in bench points.

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