Damian Lillard went more than 34 months between playoff games, and he was armed for the moment in Game 1.
Lillard announced his presence by scoring 35 points in the first half of his initial playoff game with Milwaukee. He could well again be in the lead role when the Bucks set out to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series with the visiting Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.
Former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (strained left calf) missed Sunday’s 109-94 victory in Game 1 and could be out of the lineup again on Tuesday.
Fear not, Lillard will be ready to deliver more blows if Antetokounmpo can’t answer the bell for Round 2.
“He’s got that prizefighter-like mentality,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of Lillard. “It’s almost like he’s training for the fight. When the bell rings, he seems to be ready.”
Lillard played in 61 playoff games during his 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the club wasn’t part of the festivities the past two campaigns and he requested a trade following the 2022-23 season.
He ended up with the Bucks, a top championship contender. And it certainly was ‘Dame Time’ in the first half of Game 1 when Lillard scored with ease.
“I don’t think that it’s all on me, but I know that I’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive and I’ve got to step forward a little bit more assertively,” Lillard said. “In the playoffs … it’s about setting a tone. We’re going to see this team a lot of times, and you want to establish yourself, especially on your home floor. That was just my mentality, to come out and try to set the tone.”
Lillard didn’t score in the second half, but that wasn’t a problem. The Bucks led 69-42 at halftime and cruised the rest of the way.
Khris Middleton (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Bobby Portis (15 points, 11 rebounds) also had big performances for Milwaukee.
As for the Pacers, they just want to notch a win. Any type will do.
The Game 1 setback was Indiana’s 10th straight postseason defeat, a streak that began with a Game 7 loss in the 2018 first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers only led in the opening few minutes against Milwaukee. After trailing by nine at the end of the first quarter, they were outscored 39-21 in the second.
“The first half was embarrassing,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “No excuses. We’ve simply got to come out better. It was ugly, and we all own it.”
The Pacers averaged an NBA-best 123.3 points per game during the regular season and failed to reach 100 just once — scoring 99 in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on March 27.
But one game into the playoffs, that season low of 99 points is standing out now.
Veteran center Myles Turner said his team didn’t do a good job of dealing with the playoff intensity.
“We have a young group that hasn’t really experienced this level,” Turner said. “But a lot of it is on our leaders, the guys who have been here before. When you’re in the playoffs on the road, you have to come out with a certain intensity and a certain attention to detail.”
Pascal Siakam excelled with 36 points and 13 rebounds. Turner added 17 points but was 5 of 17 from the field.
Star Tyrese Haliburton was among those missing in action with just nine points in nearly 38 minutes.
“We just didn’t do enough offensively,” Haliburton said. “Didn’t run enough. I thought we did a bad job of getting into the paint, getting the ball moving. I felt like we were a one-action team in the first half offensively.”
–Field Level Media