COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Damian Lillard made a triumphant NBA pre-season debut for the Milwaukee Bucks, combining well with Giannis Antetokounmpo in a 108-97 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lillard, a seven-time All-Star guard traded from Portland to the Bucks last month, scored 14 points with three steals, three assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes on the court.
The 33-year-old Tokyo Olympic gold medalist sank 3-of-10 shots from the floor, 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and all six of his free throws.
“I felt great. It’s always a little bit of rust in the beginning but the game was very simple,” Lillard said.
Elsewhere, Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 points and the Atlanta Hawks stayed unbeaten in the preseason with a 110-105 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Zion Williamson had 16 points in 25 minutes, but New Orleans fell to 0-3.
Okongwu shot 8 for 10 from the field and grabbed six rebounds in the game played at the home of the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ NBA G League affiliate.
Trae Young had 15 points and five assists, while Dejounte Murray and Jalen Johnson each added 12 points. Murray finished with seven rebounds and four steals.
JAZZ 138, BLAZERS 133
Lauri Markkanen had 26 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes to lead Utah in a 138-133 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rookie Keyonte George scored 17 points off the bench, while Collin Sexton added 16 and John Collins had 15 for Utah (2-1).
Anfernee Simons was 12 for 15 from the field and scored 29 points for the Trail Blazers (1-2). Jerami Grant scored 24 points and Shaedon Sharpe finished with 20.
Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in the draft, had 17 points and eight assists.
WOLVES 121, KNICKS 112
Naz Reid scored 22 points off the bench, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 17 and Minnesota beat New York to improve to 3-0 in the preseason.
The Timberwolves were playing their first game in the US after opening their preseason with two victories over the Dallas Mavericks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
They made 20 3-pointers, led by five from Reid and four from Towns.
RJ Barrett scored 23 points in 26 minutes for the Knicks, who fell to 1-1.
Miles McBride had 16 points and Evan Fournier, who fell out of the rotation entirely last season, came off the bench for 15 points and three 3-pointers.
Elsewhere, a champion with the Golden State Warriors in 2018, 12-year NBA veteran Nick Young has signed with the Macau Black Bears of Hong Kong. The team announced the signing on social media, and will add the former NBA guard to their roster.
In his 12 NBA seasons, Young played for the Washington Wizards, LA Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets. Young was mostly a bench player during his career, starting just 201 of the 720 NBA games he played.
Now playing in Hong Kong, Young should have a pretty substantial role for the Black Bears. At 38 years old, Young has not played in the NBA since the 2018-19 season, but could have some left in the tank for his new team.
Young won a championship in his second to last NBA season, playing 80 games for the 2017-18 Warriors that won it all.
While Young didn’t play heavy minutes that postseason, he did appear in 20 playoff games, scoring 52 points in 205 total minutes.
Playing just four games with the Denver Nuggets after that season, the 2017-18 year for Young was his last full year in the league, and it was a good one.
Now with the Black Bears, Young will get to extend his professional career a bit longer.
