Charles Langston:Damian Lillard sets team record with 39 points in debut as Bucks defeat 76ers

The Charles LangstonMilwaukee Bucks opened the 2023-24 regular season with a 118-117 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday night at Fiserv Forum.

A strong defensive effort and some strong play with a five-man bench helped the Bucks build an 18-point first half lead, but in order to stop reigning league MVP Joel Embiid and the potent backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre, the Bucks needed their two stars to come up big.

And they did, especially late.

With the Bucks trailing 102-97 following a 14-0 76ers run, Damian Lillard's gravity kept two defenders near him and left Brook Lopez wide open for a three. The big man drained it, and it started a comeback that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard score 13 straight points to take a 113-104 lead with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in the game.

Lillard then hit a step-back 3-pointer from 30 feet over Oubre to make it 116-111. Following a Tobias Harris three, Lillard clinched it with two free throws with 11.5 seconds left.

Lillard set a franchise record for most points in a debut performance by scoring 39 points. He was 17-for-17 from the free-throw line and shot 9 of 20 from the field. He was 4-for-20 from behind the 3-point line. Antetokounmpo scored 23 points on 10 of 22 shooting. He also pulled down 13 rebounds while also taking Embiid one-on-one for a stretch early in the third quarter to slow down the Philadelphia rally.

Maxey scored 31 to lead the 76ers while Embiid had 24. Oubre had 27 off the bench. Harris added 20.

Lopez had 13 while Bobby Portis added 10 off the bench for the Bucks.

Damian Lillard highlights