'We can do this all night' - Dame-Giannis pairing off to impressive start - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — It didn't take long for Giannis Antetokounmpo to realize just how different life would be for him playing alongside seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard compared to the rest of his 11-year NBA career.

It was all but one possession into the pair's first preseason game together Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers when things became crystal clear for the two-time MVP.

«I'll be very honest,» Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks' 108-97 win, «I've never been this open. And first of all, I've never seen anybody being double-teamed from the first possession of the game.»

Lillard, acquired by the Bucks as part of a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers last month, said that pairing with a player like Antetokounmpo made the Lakers' defensive schemes easy to digest.

«Having another guy out there that's just dominant,» Lillard said after Antetokounmpo scored 16 points in 15 minutes on 7-for-10 shooting. «He can dominate a game and win you a game.… First couple plays, they blitz me, they trap me and the guy that I'm releasing the ball to is Giannis. So I'm just like, 'Uh, we can do this all night.' You know what I mean?»

The duo officially logged their partnership in the scorebook midway through the first quarter when Lillard stole the ball from Lakers center Christian Wood and sped up court, delivering a bullet of a pass to rack up an assist on an Antetokounmpo transition dunk. Lillard didn't attempt his first shot until the next possession, with 6:24 remaining in the first, when he got fouled by D'Angelo Russell beyond the 3-point line.

They ran pick-and-roll together in the half court. Sometimes Lillard handled the ball and Antetokounmpo set the screen; sometimes the roles were reversed