LILLARD DOES GOOD JOB OF LEADING BUCKS

His 30 points do the trick as they ease past injury-hit 76ers; Durant is Suns' shining star

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LOS ANGELES - Damian Lillard was just doing his job after scoring 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25, as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 124-109 victory over the injury-depleted Philadelphia 76ers on Oct 23 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) season-opener for both teams.

The Sixers, without Joel Embiid and off-season acquisition Paul George in front of their fans, could not keep pace with the Bucks, who also had 16 points from Taurean Prince and 16 off the bench from Bobby Portis.

"The first game of the season... there is energy in the building (from their fans), that excitement, but I think in the second quarter our ball moving picked up and we played the right way," said Lillard.

"Like I said, I really prepared for the season and when the games come around I got to go out there and do what I prepared myself to do."

Embiid, the Cameroon-born big man who helped the United States to Olympic gold in Paris, missed all of the pre-season as part of the management plan for his surgically repaired left knee.