Current:Home > BackDamian Lillard scores 35 as Bucks defeat Pacers in Game 1 without Giannis Antetokounmpo-InfoLens
Damian Lillard scores 35 as Bucks defeat Pacers in Game 1 without Giannis Antetokounmpo
View Date:2024-12-23 14:57:19
By strict definition, “Dame Time” usually refers to end-of-game clutch situations.
But “Dame Time” started early in Game 1 of the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round series with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Fiserv Forum.
Damian Lillard scored 19 points in the first quarter to set the tone and finished with 35 – all in the first half – as the Milwaukee Bucks rolled to a 109-94 victory.
It was the kind of performance that Milwaukee needed from the superstar guard they traded for just before training camp, especially with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo out with a calf injury.
NBA PLAYOFFS: First-round scores, schedule, key stats, who to watch
Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton pitch in
Lillard sat for the first five minutes of the second quarter.
That allowed Bobby Portis time to take over. He scored six straight points to help the Bucks pull ahead to a 38-23 advantage.
Lillard came back in and picked up right where he left off, scoring 16 points in the second quarter, including several deep three-pointers. The Bucks led by 30 points and went into the locker room with a 69-42 lead.
Portis finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Middleton took on the lead role in the third quarter, scoring eight points. He finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks survive brief scare in the second half from Pacers
Indiana shot 3 for 18 on three-pointers in the first half.
But Aaron Nesmith knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to start the third quarter.
Then the Pacers started chipping away at the Bucks’ lead, getting within 83-71 heading into the fourth quarter.
Middleton hit a three to start the fourth, then the Bucks got the advantage up to 97-77 with 8:54 remaining after back-to-back triples from Jae Crowder and Malik Beasley.
Milwaukee cruised from there. Game 2 of the first-round playoff series between the Bucks and Pacers is Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV) at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum.
Five numbers
3 — Times the Bucks and Pacers have met in the playoffs, after also meeting in the first round in 1999 and 2000.
6 — Straight seasons the Bucks have been a top 3 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
13 — Indiana missed its first 13 three-point attempts before making one.
105 — Brook Lopez tied Giannis Antetokounmpo for first on the franchise’s all-time playoff blocks list with 105.
23 and 10 — Khris Middleton had 23 points and 10 rebounds for his first playoff double-double since Game 5 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Atlanta.
veryGood! (18354)
Related
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- U.S. launches another strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes initially didn't notice broken helmet, said backup 'was frozen'
- Dog rescued after surviving 60-foot fall from Michigan cliff and spending night alone on Lake Superior shoreline
- Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All
- Steelers vs. Bills AFC wild-card game in Buffalo postponed until Monday due to weather
- In Iowa, GOP presidential candidates concerned about impact of freezing temperatures on caucus turnout
- Ceiling in 15th century convent collapses in Italy during wedding reception, injuring 30 people
- Denver district attorney is investigating the leak of voting passwords in Colorado
- Lynn Yamada Davis, Cooking with Lynja TikTok chef, dies at age 67
Ranking
- Incredible animal moments: Watch farmer miraculously revive ailing chick, doctor saves shelter dogs
- He says he's not campaigning, so what is Joe Manchin doing in New Hampshire?
- Who is Kalen DeBoer, Nick Saban's successor at Alabama? Here's what to know
- Starting Five: The top women's college basketball games this weekend feature Iowa vs. Indiana
- Sports are a must-have for many girls who grow up to be leaders
- Da'Vine Joy Randolph talks about her Golden Globes win, Oscar buzz and how she channels grief
- Florida woman's killer identified after nearly 4 decades; suspect used 3 different names
- The True Story Behind Apple TV+'s Black Bird
Recommendation
-
Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
-
He says he's not campaigning, so what is Joe Manchin doing in New Hampshire?
-
Fendi’s gender-busting men’s collection is inspired by Princess Anne, ‘chicest woman in the world’
-
Earthquakes over magnitude 4 among smaller temblors recorded near Oklahoma City suburb
-
Bev Priestman fired as Canada women’s soccer coach after review of Olympic drone scandal
-
Mystery of why the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth went extinct is finally solved, scientists say
-
Tom Shales, longtime TV critic, dies at 79
-
Iowa’s winter blast could make an unrepresentative way of picking presidential nominees even more so