When they acquired Damian Lillard in a three-team deal in the offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks made it clear that the seven-time All-Star has a license to shoot.
In his debut game on Thursday night, Lillard did exactly what his team wanted him to do and led the Bucks to a 118-117 win over the Philadelphia Sixers at the Fiserv Forum.
Trusting Dame
Giannis Antetokounmpo said Dame was given the green light to take over late in the game, and his All-Star teammate did not disappoint by delivering crucial baskets that sealed Milwaukee’s win.
“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.
Lillard finished with 39 points, the most points scored by a debuting player. Dame capped his impressive debut by scoring Milwaukee’s final 11 points.
“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,” Giannis said.
Milwaukee’s take-charge guy
Dame said him taking over in the endgame was by design.
“I've had enough conversations with guys, especially with Giannis, that I came in knowing what was expected of me. They're encouraging me to be the person to take control, make decisions and decide what's going to happen in those moments,” Dame expressed his view.
Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin wasn’t surprised at all with Lillard’s brilliant game.
“Dame is Dame. We knew what we were getting when we got him. Dame played a really smart game as far as he knew when he had to take over,” Griffin said, as he emerged victorious in his coaching debut.
More must-reads: