MILWAUKEE — Damian Lillard’s fantastic start ensured the Milwaukee Bucks would do well even without Giannis Antetokounmpo in their playoff opener.
Lillard made all 35 of his points before halftime, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 109-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday while Antetokounmpo watched from the bench.
“I don’t think it's entirely up to me, but I know I need to be more aggressive and assertive,” Lillard said. “In the playoffs, it's about setting a tone. We're going to face this team many times, and you want to establish yourself, especially on your home turf. That was my mentality, to come out and try to set the tone.”
The Bucks required Lillard to step up in the absence of Antetokounmpo, whose return date is uncertain due to a strained left calf that also caused him to miss Milwaukee’s final three regular-season games. Game 2 of the playoff series is on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
Lillard set a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game. He didn’t score at all and attempted only five shots in the second half as the Pacers focused on slowing him down, but the damage was done by that point.
“He has that fighter-like mentality,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s almost like he’s training for the fight. When the bell rings, he seems to be ready.”
This was Lillard’s first playoff game since 2021. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers before moving to the Bucks in a trade.
“The last two years, not being in the playoffs, it was awful,” Lillard said. “Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I never had the chance to go to Coachella. It's playing in the playoffs every year. Just having that long summer, it was like, man, I was over that.”
Pascal Siakam scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who hadn't scored fewer than 99 points in the regular season while averaging a league-high 123.3 points per game. The Pacers shot 8 of 39 from 3-point range.
Indiana, which had won four of its five regular-season meetings with the Bucks, is making its first playoff appearance since 2020. The Pacers haven’t advanced beyond the opening round since 2014.
“It's easy to just say we missed shots and now we're nervous or whatever,” said Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, who had nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. “Whatever you all are going to run with, it doesn't matter. I just feel like we missed shots, at the end of the day. The ball wasn't moving. And they made shots in the first half and that kind of dug us a hole.”
Khris Middleton scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis added 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Lillard had 19 points in the opening period, the highest first-quarter point total by any player in a playoff opener since at least 1997. He had the highest first-half point total for any player in a postseason contest since Kevin Durant had 38 at the break for the Golden State Warriors in a 2019 first-round game with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Then he received assistance from his fellow players while taking a well-earned break. Milwaukee scored 14 points while Lillard was resting for almost the first five minutes of the second quarter.
When Lillard came back, he resumed right from where he had stopped. He made a 3-pointer while being fouled and completed a four-point play, increasing Milwaukee’s lead to 65-35. The Bucks were in the lead 69-42 at halftime.
“The first half was humiliating,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle remarked. “No excuses. We simply need to start the game better. It was unattractive, and we all take responsibility for it.”
Indiana ended the third quarter with nine consecutive points, reducing Milwaukee’s lead to 83-71, but the Bucks regained control.
Jae Crowder and Malik Beasley made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to start an 8-0 run, increasing Milwaukee’s lead to 99-77 with 8:10 remaining. Milwaukee remained ahead by at least 14 points for the rest of the game.
