Damian Lillard makes franchise history with 39 in Bucks debut
Damian Lillard makes franchise history with 39 in Bucks debut
Terry Cummings, who had 34 in his 1984 debut, is displaced from Milwaukee’s record book by the standout point guard.

MILAN, WI (AP) —In his first game with his new team, Damian Lillard scored 39 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-117 on Thursday night despite blowing a 19-point lead to start the season.
In his Bucks debut, the former star player for the Portland Trail Blazers broke the record for the most points by a player. In 1984, Terry Cummings made his Bucks debut with a score of 34 points.
After going 10-for-22 from the field, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points and 13 rebounds to take the lead in baskets made in his career for the team.
Although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made 5,902 baskets with the Bucks from 1969 to 1975, Antetokounmpo has 5,905 career field goals.
With 3:41 left, Lillard made a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a commanding 105-104 lead. After his own miss, Antetokounmpo grabbed an offensive rebound and found Lillard open beyond the arc.
Lillard’s basket sparked an 11-0 run that, with 2:45 left, put Milwaukee ahead by nine points.
With 1:13 remaining, Lillard made another 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points, but the 76ers responded with seven consecutive points.
With 11.5 seconds remaining, Lillard drove to the basket, drew a foul, and sank two free throws to seal the victory after Tobias Harris made a 3-pointer to tie the score once more. Lillard converted all 17 of his attempts at free throws.
For the 76ers, Tyrese Maxey scored 31, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27, and Joel Embiid had 24.
Lillard had spent his first 11 seasons in Portland, but he was now playing for a new team.
In order to acquire the seven-time All-NBA guard, Lillard requested a trade in the offseason and ended up in Milwaukee, where he was acquired for a large sum of draft capital along with Grayson Allen and two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday.
Adrian Griffin of Milwaukee made his head coaching debut against his former boss in this match.
Nick Nurse, the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, led Griffin’s staff for the previous five seasons. Nurse is currently the head coach of the 76ers.