Aussies in NBA: Mills gets first start of the season

Patty Mills got his first starting gig of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks and helped guide the San Antonio Spurs to a 123-98 road win.

Mills got the start after Tony Parker failed to make the trip due to right hip soreness.

He scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting (3-of-5 from 3-point) and dished out 5 assists in a season-high equaling 28 minutes.

It was a game of two halves for Mills today, the first was for assists and the second for scoring.

Although he has spawned the hashtag #PattyMillsShotCount due to his rapid-fire shooting off the bench, Mills rarely looked to shoot early, instead preferring to set-up his teammates.

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At the half, Mills had notched up all of his 5 assists without putting a score on the board, only taking 1 shot.

It showed his maturing as a player that he chose not to force any shots and allowing the game come to him, along with his continued improvement as a distributor.

Mills would then score all 10 of his points in the third quarter alone.

Whether by accident or a foolish design, the Bucks players practically begged Mills to shoot, and he willingly obliged. They continually doubled-off Mills, giving him wide open space along the 3-point line and he made them pay.

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The early prognosis is Tony Parker is likely to play for the Spurs' next game against Joe Ingles' the Utah Jazz on Thursday (AEST), which will see Mills return to the bench.

Mills is now averaging 8.4 points and 2.6 assists for the season.