The clash of two Eastern Conference giants captivated the fans of the game of basketball in the city of?Wisconsin. In a dramatic finish to the match, the Milwaukee Bucks won their first game of the season as Damian Lillard debuted. The win raised the question, whether or not Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. could go all the way in their pursuit of the NBA championship.

Alongside that, the matchup put forward two more defining key talking points. As the season began at full force, the league’s intensity caught the viewers’ attention.

Will they win the title with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard?

The Bucks won at home against their arch-rivals Philadelphia 76ers with a scoreline of 118-117. The hosts led most of the match, with Lillard scoring 39 points on his debut for his latest franchise. During a relative off-night in his shooting department, the 33-year-old found another avenue for scoring.

Dame only shot 4/12 behind the arc with 9/20 in two-pointers, showcasing his struggles for a hot shooting start. He still stole the show with his free-throw line dominance as he made all 17 of his free throws from the line. Giannis refused to be outdone as he dropped 23 points to start his campaign. The combination made the 76ers question their preparations as the Milwaukee side sent a warning across the league.

The rebounds played a vital role for the Bucks

One of the major reasons behind the 2021 champions dominating the home court was winning rebounds. The Green Freak led in that category as he made 13 rebounds in the game, among which 8 were defensive and 5 were offensive. Damian contributed immensely in this regard too, as he also made 8 defensive rebounds.

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The Bucks led in this section 44-39 with the Philadelphia side coming short, especially on the offensive end. That was why they had a total of 12 second-chance points. The 76ers trio of Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, and PJ Tucker won 7 rebounds each but only 1 offensive rebound together. This cost the visitors majorly as they failed to control the game throughout.

The new team order

Both Lillard and Giannis shot high volume in their season opener at the Fiserv Forum. Amongst the 82 field goal attempts the duo shot 42, more than 50% of the team’s total attempts. This displayed a new order on the roster where the franchise wanted to utilize their superstars as the main point of attack.

Of course, both of them would need to improve their efficiency as it held the team back on multiple occasions. The 28-year-old forward shot 33.3% from the free-throw line on a night when Dame shot the same from behind the 3-point line.

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There are answers the team needs to still find. But this opening match was a display of the potential this squad held. It’s fair to say that the ceiling looks high at this stage.