“Dame was so great tonight, and he was competing on both sides of the ball,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “I had no idea he had 45, but he’s a rhythm player and he definitely got into a rhythm out there. He made big shots, and that’s why he’s on this team.”

Lillard was the first player in Bucks history with at least 40 points, 10 assists and five 3-pointers in a game.

“I had a good warmup and I got a couple shots to go in, so I felt good,” he said. “I knew it was an important game, so I picked my spots. I moved the ball when I needed to move the ball and I attacked when I needed to attack.”

Edwards leads the Timberwolves to a 124-117 victory over the Pistons with 27 points and eight assists.The Pistons defeat the Wizards 129-117 thanks to 34 points from Alec Burks, who came off the bench.The Houston Rockets defeat the Detroit Pistons in a thrilling comeback led by Fred VanVleet in the second half.While recording 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, Giannis Antetokounmpo was unsuccessful on 11 of his 22 free throw tries. The Bucks, who have won four straight, were led by 19 points from Brook Lopez.

“Giannis was big on both ends,” Griffin said. “He got us some stops at the start of the second half and he was aggressive with the ball and getting to the rim. When he draws fouls, he gets us to the bonus faster than a lot of teams, and that’s invaluable.”

Alec Burks (33) and Ausur Thompson (career-high 22) combined for 55 points for Detroit’s second unit, but Bojan Bogdanovic (19) and Jaden Ivey (18) were the only starters to reach double figures in the opener of a two-game series.

“Burks has been phenomenal. I’m trying to think of veterans who’ve been this type of player in the past,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “His ability to score the ball and communicate with the young guys on the floor have helped us a ton.”

The Pistons are 2-37 in their last 39 games, including a record-tying 28-game losing streak. They host Milwaukee again Monday.

Antetokounmpo had five points in a 9-0 run that gave the Bucks a 126-121 lead with 4:40 to play, but he missed his 10th free throw seconds later.

Lillard, though, scored five straight points to push Milwaukee’s lead back to 134-126 with 2:11 left.

“It’s hard to play defense when a team has (49) free throws,” Williams said. “I feel bad for our team because we’re trying to play good basketball and good defense.”

In the third quarter, Detroit missed seven of their first eight shots, giving Milwaukee an 80-71 lead. In an effort to keep Detroit in the game, Antetokounmpo missed eight of his first twelve efforts from the line, continuing his struggles.

The Pistons were still within 103-98 at the end of the third quarter despite Lillard’s 19 points in the quarter and 36 for the game. Early in the fourth quarter, Mike Muscala made back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Detroit a 106-105 lead.

Lilliard’s 31-footer at the buzzer gave the Bucks a 70-67 lead at the half. Along with seven assists, he finished with 17 points and over 50% of the team’s field goals.

“We need to take better care of the 3-point line on Monday,” Griffin said. “Will they shoot like this next time? I don’t know, but we have to make sure we don’t give them that confidence.”