MILWAUKEE — Damian Lillard scored 30 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:03 left as the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the New York Knicks 110-105 on Friday to open the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
The Bucks withstood a huge performance from Jalen Brunson, who had 45 points and gave the Knicks their first lead since early in the second quarter by hitting a 3 with 1:10 remaining. Brunson punctuated the shot by blowing a kiss to the crowd.
Lillard answered by sinking a 3-pointer of his own to put Milwaukee back ahead 104-103. After Brunson missed a 10-footer with 49 seconds left, Khris Middleton found Lillard cutting to the basket for a driving layup to start a 3-point play that made it 107-103 with 38 seconds to go.