Damian Lillard leads Bucks to victory over 76ers in NBA opener

Damian Lillard scored 30 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 124-109 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in the NBA season opener for both teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis scored 16 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting, and Taurean Prince also scored 16 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting.

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Tyrese Maxey made 10 of 31 for Philadelphia, which played without Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are nursing knee injuries, and scored 25 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 21 points and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Read: NBA: Bucks confident they can compete again if they stay healthy

The Sixers took a one-point lead after the first quarter, and the score remained close for most of the second quarter until the Bucks began to build some lead.

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With Milwaukee leading 39-37 with less than five minutes left in the first half, Lillard made a bucket to start a 15-5 lead. Prince added a layup and two 3-pointers to give the Bucks a 54-42 lead.

Milwaukee led 58-47 at halftime, but scored 42 points in the third quarter, including 15 from Lillard.

Read: NBA: Bucks look to restore status as championship contenders

Prince and Gary Trent Jr. each made two 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the game to start the uprising. Midway through the quarter, Lillard made two long-range shots for an 80-64 lead.

Lillard added two more 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the third quarter for a 92-73 lead. Brook Lopez made a 3-point shot with less than a minute left in the third inning, extending the lead to 20 points for the first time.

The Sixers made a mini comeback in the fourth quarter, getting within 107-95 on Oubre’s 3-pointer with 6:12 left. But Portis quickly converted a 3-point play and the Bucks comfortably led for the rest of the game. –Field level media