3 Studs, 1 dud from Bucks' magnificent Game 1 win over Pacers

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.

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.

Stud - Khris Middleton

While Damian Lillard was cooking in the first half, Khris Middleton took a step back to allow his fellow Buck to dominate. Yet, when Lillard started struggling to find that same type of success in the second half, the script flipped as Middleton started carrying the load offensively for the Milwaukee Bucks.

After an eight-point first half, Middleton upped his aggression with eight shot attempts across the last 24 minutes, putting up 15 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting. Whenever it felt like the Pacers were about to go on a run, Middleton gave Milwaukee a needed lift with a bucket. He looked like the player who hit endless big shots from the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2021 title run.

In total, the forward finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and even a block while hitting 64.3 percent of his shots (9-of-14). With Antetokounmpo out and the Bucks slumping in the second half, this is exactly the type of performance Khris Middleton needed to deliver. He was a +25 in the entire game, the highest on either side, capturing his impact.

If there was something to knock Middleton, it would be his five personal fouls. However, the good undoubtedly outweighed the bad in this one, so Khris Middleton will comfortably find himself in the stud category for an excellent Game 1 performance.

Stud - Bobby Portis

With Giannis Antetokounmpo out, Bobby Portis took his spot as the team's starting power forward in this matchup. His size and rebounding would be crucial against a team with players like Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam on Indiana's side, who could pose problems against a Giannis-less team. The big man came to play, giving the Milwaukee Bucks an immeasurable spark.

Offensively, it wasn't the easiest night for Portis, having scored 15 points on 15 shot attempts, but he made every bucket count. Portis showed off his scoring versatility with his patented mid-range shots, a thunderous dunk and even an eye-catching layup after catching a rare lob pass from Middleton. Yet, he wasn't just a scorer, having chipped in 11 rebounds for a Game 1 double-double.

The one nitpick from Portis' performance would be his six fouls, which caused him to exit the game early. In a playoff game, those can be costly, especially in one where the Bucks are relying so heavily on Portis in Antetokounmpo's absence. He was a +23 in this one, trailing only Middleton, showing just how much Milwaukee benefitted when he was on the court.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo's status uncertain, the Milwaukee Bucks need Bobby Portis to keep his foot on the gas with this type of play, minus the fouls.

Dud - AJ Green

AJ Green showed glimpses of potential when given a shot in the regular season, and Doc Rivers gave him a brief chance to show it in the postseason. It was clear that Green was rusty, having missed time to end the regular season due to an injury, which certainly negatively impacted his rhythm and play.

In five and a half minutes, the only stat Green recorded was a personal foul. He missed all three of his 3-point looks, which was quite surprising, given that they were all fairly quality looks fans are used to seeing him hit with regularity. Again, he was rusty, and there very well may have been some playoff nervousness in there, given that that was his first postseason action in his NBA career.

It will be interesting to see how Green is utilized throughout this series. He has the tools to become a difference-maker for the Milwaukee Bucks, but it all starts with that outside shot. Hopefully Game 1 helped him shake off some rust and build confidence about playing on the big stage. Rivers clearly trusts the sophomore, and he will likely have a chance to redeem himself because of it.

Green will be classified as a dud for this game, limited action or not.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.