After an incredibly turbulent regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks took the stage for their first-round playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, which was expected, other Bucks players would have to rise to the occasion. Thankfully, they did just that.
After trailing briefly early on, the Bucks took the lead in the first quarter and never let it go, building an advantage that was as large as 30 at its apex. Yet, Indiana did not go down easy, as they made several comeback attempts, but the Bucks held them off to secure a 109-94 win in Game 1. To sum up how impressive Milwaukee's defense was, Indiana's 94 points were the fewest they scored this season.
With all that said, let us highlight several individual studs and duds from the contest.
Stud - Damian Lillard
After the struggles he displayed in the regular season, there was plenty of talk about Damian Lillard leading up to this game. With Giannis out, he needed to step up the most and be a tone-setter, or the Bucks might have been doomed from the start. The guard knew his importance, coming out of the gates like he had something to prove.
Lillard scored an impressive 35 points in the first half, doing everything from knocking in triples from the parking lot to slicing to the rim. The guard's efficiency was tremendous, shooting 11-of-19 from the floor (57.9 percent), 6-of-10 from three (60 percent) and 7-of-7 (100 percent) from the foul line.
No matter who the Pacers threw in his direction, Lillard still kept the ball rolling and found a way to put the ball through the net again and again. His 35 points were the most scored by a Milwaukee Buck in a half in playoff history, etching his name in the books in his first postseason game in town. Stat Muse reported that he was just a point off from tying the debut playoff game scoring total in Bucks history.
Most points in playoff debut with the Bucks:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 22, 2024
36 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
36 — Gary Brokaw
35 — Damian Lillard
The only players to put up 35+ points. pic.twitter.com/RAwb3G8fap
Despite his incredible first half, it was surprisingly a quiet second half for Lillard, as he did not score a single point over the final 24 minutes. In total, he finished with 35 points, six boards and three assists. Talk about an impressive playoff debut for the Milwaukee Bucks.