Lillard, Bucks Beat Pacers Without Giannis – Dame time came early and often. This is exactly why Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks joined forces.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, Lillard assumed the role and responsibility of the No. 1 option for the Bucks against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. He dominated over the first two quarters.
“He’s got that prizefighter-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.”
Lillard abused the Pacers for 35 first-half points in his first playoff game with the Bucks. The outcome was a 109-94 Game 1 victory to ease concerns and tension about playing without their two-time MVP Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee’s first-round series against Indiana.
“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.”
In five regular-season meetings, including the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament, with Antetokounmpo in the lineup, the No. 3 seeded Bucks went 1-4 against the Pacers. With Antetokounmpo donning street clothes, Sunday’s game was over by halftime in Milwaukee’s favor.
The Pacers, as a collective unit, only managed to outscore Lillard by seven points in the first half as the Bucks built a 69-42 halftime lead. While Lillard demoralized the Pacers from 3-point range and at the basket, Milwaukee’s stifling defense also played a critical role, holding Indiana’s league-best offense to its lowest first-half point total of the season. It marked an emphatic victory for newcomers Lillard and head coach Doc Rivers, who was brought on board 43 games into the season to transform Milwaukee’s defense.
“The first half was embarrassing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “No excuses. We’ve simply got to come out better. It was ugly, and we all own it.”
The playoff game was Lillard’s first since 2021 after the Trail Blazers failed to make the playoffs in each of his past two seasons while he was in Portland. He came out of the locker room on a mission, putting up 19-points in the opening frame, punctuated by his third triple of the contest to beat the buzzer and give Milwaukee a 30-21 lead.
With Lillard taking a well-earned break on the bench to start the second quarter, the Bucks did not take their foot off the gas and remained in control and used a 10-0 surge to extend its nine-point first quarter lead to 44-24. When Lillard returned midway through the quarter, he picked up right where he left off. He pulled up from deep beyond the 3-point arc for his fourth 3-pointer to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 49-29.
His sixth 3-pointer of the half also drew a foul. He made his free throw for a four-point play to extend Milwaukee’s edge to 65-35.
By halftime, he had reached a career playoff high for a half. The 35-point first-half tally was the highest-scoring by any NBA player in the playoffs since Kevin Durant scored 38 for the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. It is the kind of takeover explosion the Bucks were looking for when they acquired Lillard last offseason to pair with Antetokounmpo.
Lillard shockingly had a goose egg in the second half, but it did not matter. Milwaukee’s 27-point halftime lead was more than enough to withstand Indiana’s second-half comeback attempt. Lillard finished the game with 35 points, six rebounds and three assists. He shot 11 of 24 from the field and 6 of 11 from the great beyond.
Milwaukee gave the kind of effort the Bucks hoped for when they fired head coach Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Rivers early in the season. The Bucks held a Pacers team that led the league with 123.3 points per game to 42 in the first half and 94 for the game. The Pacers shot a frigid 35.6% from the field and 3 of 18 (16.7%) from distance in the first half. They finished shooting 39.6% from the field and 8 of 39 (20.5%) from downtown.
The Pacers made a run as Lillard took just three shots in the third quarter. Indiana was able to take advantage with a 29-14 surge capped by a 9-0 run that trimmed the Bucks lead to 12, 83-71.
However, that was cosmetic and there was no serious threat of a Pacer rally. Khris Middleton picked up the scoring slack with a 23-point, 10-rebound, four-assist effort after scoring eight in the first half. He was an efficient 9 of 14 shooting in a return to All-Star form after being managed for injury maintenance heavily throughout the season. Milwaukee extended its lead to 102-82 as it held Indiana at bay.
As a team, the Bucks shot 46.6% from the field and 14 of 37 (37.8%) from 3-point range. Sixth Man of the Year finalist Bobby Portis provided his usual energy, this time in a starting role, tallying 15 points and 11 rebounds in place of Antetokounmpo.
Pascal Siakam was Indiana’s only consistent source of offense in a 36-point, 14-rebound effort. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton took just nine shots in a nine-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound performance. Center Myles Turner struggled from the field (5 of 17, 3 of 10 from 3) while posting 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Bucks were in full control as Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, five-time All-Defensive team member and former Defensive Player of the Year, watched from the bench. He missed the final three games of the regular season with a calf strain, and his status moving forward is unclear. The Bucks hope to have him back in time to play in the first round, but Rivers said in his pregame media session that he has yet to practice since his injury and declined to offer a prognosis.
In the meantime, the Bucks will continue to look to Lillard and Middleton to carry the offensive load.
And…
Embed from Getty ImagesTop-Seeded Thunder Edge Pelicans in Game 1 – Just mere hours after the NBA announced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected as one of three finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, along with Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, the Oklahoma City’s All-Star guard put on a show.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the No. 1 seeded Thunder edged the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday night.
Pelicans’ CJ McCollum missed a fallaway 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Thunder survived held to win their first home playoff game since 2019.
“I thought we showed great grit down the stretch,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Obviously, that was a tight game. It was a bit of a brawl for both teams offensively. And we made plays defensively down the stretch – big time plays – and had the resolve to go in and win the game.”
Jalen Williams contributed 19 points and Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and also five massive blocks for the Thunder. Holmgren is the first player with that stat line since Shaquille O’Neal when he was a member of the Orlando Magic in 1994. Oklahoma will host Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Trey Murphy III scored 21 points, McCollum had 20 and Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points and was an absolute manchild on the boards, collecting 20 rebounds for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson, New Orleans’ leading scorer in the regular season, sat out with a strained left hamstring. He will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Gilgeous-Alexander made an off-balance jumper in the paint with 32.5 seconds left to break a 90-all tie and was fouled on the play. With the crowd roaring “M-V-P!” Gilgeous-Alexander calmly swished the free throw to put Oklahoma City ahead 93-90.
“I set a screen on the ball,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And they switched on Dub (Williams). And then I just caught the ball at the elbow and just tried to be aggressive and make a play that I’ve made before.”
McCollum’s mid-range jumper made it 93-92.
Holmgren was fouled with 14 seconds remaining on the clock. He missed the first free throw and made the second to put the Thunder ahead 94-92 and set up McCollum’s final shot. Thunder rookie Cason Wallace forced him to scramble and take a difficult shot.
“I got the switch,” McCollum said. “I should have attacked a little earlier, a little faster. But credit, it was good defense. … I thought it was cash and I missed it long.”
The energy and enthusiasm from the Oklahoma City fans, most wearing white Thunder T-shirts – was off the charts, and Holmgren brought them to a fever pitch by opening the scoring with a 3-pointer.
“It was amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were exactly what I expected. … They were perfect.”
The game was knotted at 17-all at the end of the first quarter and tied at 43 at halftime. The Thunder held New Orleans to 34% shooting in the first half, but missed a lot of open shots in their own right. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points before the break.
New Orleans led 50-48 in the third quarter before the Thunder went on an 11-0 surge over a three-minute span that put them up 59-50.
The Pelicans bounced back nicely to briefly take the lead, but Oklahoma City closed the third quarter strong. Isaiah Joe hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in the frame to put the Thunder up by six, 74-68, heading into the fourth.
New Orleans failed to cash in on multiple opportunities to seize control in the final quarter.
“We had quality shots coming down the stretch that we just didn’t make, and it came down to the final play,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Our guys fought all night. Defense was solid. Game plan was executed at a high level. We’ve got to knock down some shots.”
It was a defensive slugfest between teams that both averaged more than 115 points in the regular season. You can chalk that up to nerves.
“This is what it’s going to be,” Green said. “We’re physical with them, they’re physical with us and that’s a part of the game. That’s a part of playoff basketball.”
