Damian Lillard Stats Tonight: How did Bucks superstar fare in preseason matchup vs Pistons?

Damian Lillard offered fans a glimpse of his form in his 13th NBA season as the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Detroit Pistons in a preseason matchup. Lillard is heading into the season in his second year with the Bucks after their disappointing playoff exit last year.

Lillard started the game alongside Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Pat Connaughton, and Brook Lopez. Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and an injured Khris Middleton were absent from the lineup.

Below are Damian Lillard’s stats from the game.

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	AST	REB	FGA	FG%	3-PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF
Damian Lillard	17:18	15	4	2	10	50	4	6	66.7	1	1	100	0	2	1	0	2	3

As is typical in preseason, Lillard only played in the first half, as coaches look to minimize injury risk to star players.

In his 17 minutes on the floor, Lillard scored 15 points on 10 shots, going hot from beyond the arc, hitting four of his six 3-point attempts.

His fellow starters, who also rested for the second half, combined for 25 points.

Damian Lillard shares conversation expressing the need to connect with Giannis Antetokounmpo

During the Bucks’ media day, Damian Lillard revealed that he spoke to Giannis Antetokounmpo about the importance of building chemistry to help the Bucks thrive.

Lillard recalled approaching Antetokounmpo in the locker room during a playoff game last season when both were inactive, telling him they needed to be more in sync to move the team forward.

“I just told him, I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, but me and you have got to get connected. We’ve got to get something done.’ He agreed. Once he agreed, the conversation went a whole different way after that. It became a much more open conversation,” Lillard said (per WMTV15news).

From there, Lillard said their communication continued throughout the summer, noting that it was more critical than just training together on the court.

“You can work out until you’re blue in the face. As soon as I say something in a game or he says something in a game and it doesn’t register or it’s not being received, then it’s not going to work how you want to work,” he said.

Last season, Lillard averaged 24.3 points, 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. Although he appeared in 73 regular-season games, he played just four games in the first round of the playoffs, where the Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

In those four games, Lillard averaged 31.3 points, 5.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc.