Damian Lillard! Doing what he does.”
A new era just dawned in Milwaukee.
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THE LINEUP
Lillard’s introduction before his Bucks debut. | NBAE
- Dame’s Milwaukee Debut
- LeBron, Lakers rally past KD, Suns
- Rivalries & Gm7 rematches tonight
- 1st Buckets Roundup
- 1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣9️⃣ (NBA’s Version)
- WELCOME TO DAME TIME, MILWAUKEE
Nobody in Bucks history has ever scored more in their debut. | NBAE via Getty Images
This is why you go and get Damian Lillard.
Trailing by 2 with 4 minutes left, Lillard scored 14 of Milwaukee’s final 16 points to lead the Bucks to a 118-117 win over Philly in both teams’ season opener – and made his way into Bucks history as he did it.
That’s Dame Time.
- Lillard finished with 39 points – setting the Bucks franchise record for most points in a debut – hitting 2 of his 4 3-pointers in the clutch, including the clincher from 30 feet out. He also hit all 17 of his free throws
- Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points, 13 boards and 2 blocks, hitting 10 field goals to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most buckets by a Buck ever
- Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 31 points and 8 assists, while reigning MVP Joel Embiid added 27 points, 7 boards and 6 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27 points and 5 3s off the bench in his Sixers debut
- Postgame: The head nod by Dame to the camera on his walk to the locker room says it all
- LONG-AWAITED KD-LEBRON DUEL DELIVERS
After nearly a decade of not sharing an NBA court, Bron and KD shared an early-season classic on Thursday.| NBAE via Getty Images
In their 1st regular season matchup in 5 years, Kevin Durant and LeBron James did not disappoint.
- LeBron scored 10 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter as the Lakers outscored the Suns 28-11 to turn a 12-point deficit into their first win of the season, 100-95. LeBron finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 35 minutes
- Durant had a game-high 39 points, 11 rebounds and 1 emphatic block for the shorthanded Suns, who were without both Devin Booker (foot) and Bradley Beal (back)
- Moving Up: With an and-1 bucket with 90 seconds to play, Durant climbed to 12th on the all-time scoring list, passing Hakeem Olajuwon – a man both KD and his mom admired. Next up: KD needs 365 points to pass Elvin Hayes (27,313) for 11th place. No. 1 and No. 12 on the list embrace postgame
- Vintage Bron: What was all that talk about a minutes restriction? LeBron played the entire 4th quarter and moved like a player in Year 1 rather than Year 21, going coast-to-coast, splitting double teams, and driving the lane like it was 2003
- 2nd Half AD: After going scoreless in the 2nd half in the Lakers’ opening night loss to Denver, Anthony Davis had 19 points (6-10 FG, 7-7 FT), 7 boards and 2 blocks in the 2nd half against Phoenix. Here’s 1 of AD’s blocks that leads to the slick euro-step hesi from D’Angelo Russell in transition
- FRIDAY: PLAYOFF REMATCHES ON ESPN
The Heat & Celtics have met in 3 of the last 4 ECF. The last 2 have gone 7. | NBAE via Getty Images
Three Playoff series went 7 games last year. Tonight’s ESPN doubleheader features rematches of 2 of those series.
Heat (1-0) at Celtics (1-0), 7:30 ET, ESPN
Look at the playoff history between these 2 teams from the past 4 seasons alone:
- 2023 East Finals: Heat defeat Celtics (4-3)
- 2022 East Finals: Celtics defeat Heat (4-3)
- 2020 East Finals: Heat defeat Celtics (4-2)
Tonight, they start their 4-game regular season series with both teams looking for a 2-0 start. What’s one matchup to watch? Jayson Tatum vs. Jimmy Butler.
- In last year’s East Finals, Butler held Tatum to 41% shooting in 38 minutes, while Tatum shot nearly 49% against all other Heat defenders.
- On the other end, Tatum held Butler to 38% shooting in 34 minutes, while Jimmy shot 42.6% against all other Celtics defenders.
It took the Dubs & Kings decades to meet in the Playoffs. The first time they did, they went 7. | NBAE via Getty Images
Warriors (0-1) at Kings (1-0), 10 ET, ESPN
This matchup may not have the same history as Boston-Miami, but the 1st postseason matchup may have sparked a new rivalry.
- Steph’s Back: The last time Steph Curry played in Sacramento, he set a then-Game 7 record with 50 points to lead the Warriors into the West semifinals
- Rivals Even In Preseason: Curry didn’t let up against the Kings in the preseason, sinking a game-winning 3 to cap off a late rally in the Bay
- Kings Start Hot: Sacramento won its season opener in Utah, with Malik Monk giving us an early dunk of the year candidate on the 2nd night of the NBA season
- Dubs Fall Short in Opener: Golden State dropped its season opener against Phoenix with Curry scoring 27 and Chris Paul adding 14 points and 9 dimes in his Warriors debut. Despite the loss, Curry feels the CP3 addition has been smooth so far and will only get better
SGA & Spida meet up on League Pass tonight. | NBAE via Getty Images
What Else From Friday’s 11-Game Slate?
Nuggets at Grizzlies (7 ET, NBA App): The Nuggets got their rings and dub on Tuesday and look for their 1st road win against a Memphis squad looking for its 1st win of the season
Pistons at Hornets (7 ET, NBA App): A pair of top-5 picks meet as No. 2 Brandon Miller and the Hornets host No. 5 Ausar Thompson and the Pistons
Thunder at Cavaliers (7:30 ET, NBA App): An All-Star guard matchup with OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell as both teams look to go to 2-0
Knicks at Hawks (7:30 ET, NBA App): Both teams are looking for their 1st win after single-digit losses in their season openers as both struggled to close out the 4th quarter
Rockets at Spurs (8 ET, NBA App): It’s a matchup of a pair of top-4 picks as Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs host Amen Thompson and the Rockets with both rooks looking for their 1st win
Raptors at Bulls (8 ET, NBA App): The Raptors look to improve to 2-0 after defeating the Wolves on Wednesday, while the Bulls look to bounce back from a 20-point loss to OKC
Nets at Mavericks (8:30 ET, NBA App): Both teams were in clutch season-openers; the Nets fell to the Cavs on Mitchell’s game-winner, while Luka spoiled Wemby’s debut in San Antonio
Clippers at Jazz (9:30 ET, NBA App): The Jazz try to avoid an 0-2 home start when they host the Clippers, who got a combined 50 from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in a season-opening W
Magic at Blazers (10 ET, NBA App): After opening last season 0-5, the Magic look to go 2-0 when they visit the Blazers
- FIRST BUCKETS FOR ROOKS AND NEW FACES
Charlotte’s No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller put up 13 in his debut. | NBAE via Getty Images
Certain moments become core memories for players entering the NBA. One of them? Scoring your 1st basket. Here’s a selection from this year’s rookie class:
- No 1 Victor Wembanyama: Bucket No. 1 for the No. 1 pick was a catch-and-shoot 3 from the top of the key
- No. 2 Brandon Miller: Got the 3 to drop, on the way to 13 pts
- No. 2 (2022) Chet Holmgren: The Thunder rookie created his own shot with the smooth turnaround jumper
- No. 3 Scoot Henderson: Showed off his float game for his 1st bucket as a Blazer
- No. 4 Amen Thompson: Hit the pull-up just inside the 3-point line
- No. 5 Ausar Thompson: Made 1 shot, but had 7 boards, 5 blocks and 3 assists
- No. 6 Anthony Black: The drive, the floater, the hoop & harm
- No. 7 Bilal Coulibaly: Got the friendly bounce on the corner 3
Dame: on the board for Milwaukee. | NBAE via Getty Images
With more than 100 players switching teams this offseason, there are plenty of new faces scoring 1st buckets with their new teams, too:
- Damian Lillard: Dame’s 1st “Buck”et comes on a baseline fadeaway jumper off the inbounds pass
- Kristaps Porzingis: Threw down the alley-oop for his 1st bucket as a Celtic
- Jordan Poole: A big block by Daniel Gafford got Washington on the break, with Poole finishing with a reverse layup for his 1st Wizards bucket
- Marcus Smart: Needed just 90 seconds to get his 1st 3-pointer as a Grizzly
- Jrue Holiday: Called his own number as he stepped into a 3-pointer for his 1st Boston bucket
- 1️⃣9️⃣8️⃣9️⃣ (NBA’s VERSION)
Taylor & squad at MSG for Knicks-Magic in 2014. | NBAE via Getty Images
Today, Taylor Swift dropped a re-record of an album, “1989,” that she released 9 years ago while living in NYC … a time when she also happened to pop into a few Knicks games.
The title also got us reminiscing about the best of the NBA in 1989 – a year when the Bad Boys ruled and a new generation was about to change the league.
1989 NBA snapshot
- NBA Champion: Detroit Pistons
- Finals MVP: Joe Dumars (27.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 6.0 apg)
- Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson (22.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 12.8 apg)
- Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond (22.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg)
- No. 1 Draft Pick: Pervis Ellison (Sacramento Kings)
- Scoring Champ: Michael Jordan (32.5)
- Rebounds Leader: Hakeem Olajuwon (13.5)
- Assists Leader: John Stockton (13.6)
Your NBA1989 MVP. Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. | NBAE via Getty Images
Current players born in 1989
- Jimmy Butler (Heat): Sept. 14, 1989
- DeMar DeRozan (Bulls): Aug. 7, 1989
- James Harden (Sixers): Aug. 26, 1989
- Marcus Morris Sr. (Clippers): Sept. 2, 1989
- Markieff Morris (Mavericks): Sept. 2, 1989
- Justin Holiday (Nuggets): April 5, 1989
- Bojan Bogdanovic (Pistons): April 18, 1989
Noted Swifty Jimmy Butler was born just a few months before Taylor in 1989. | NBAE via Getty Images
5 iconic NBA moments from 1989
- May 7, 1989: Michael Jordan’s series-winning buzzer beater is known in Chicago, and especially in Cleveland, as “The Shot”
- June 13, 1989: The Pistons complete the sweep of the Lakers to win 1st title in franchise history
- Nov. 4, 1989: David Robinson makes his NBA debut for the Spurs, posting 23 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks in a 106-98 win over the Lakers
- Nov. 9, 1989: The Bucks defeat the SuperSonics 155-154 in a 5-overtime game, the longest of the shot clock era
- Dec. 17, 1989: Hakeem Olajuwon (then known as Akeem) tallies 32 points, 25 rebounds and 10 blocks as the Rockets defeat the Magic. No player has reached those marks in an NBA game since
