Lillard drops 35 in 1st, while Oshkosh’s Haliburton held to nine, as Bucks beat Pacers in Game 1 without Giannis
Game 1 of Round 1 in the NBA playoffs for the third-seeded team in the Eastern Conference needed “Dame Time” yesterday and got it.
TUESDAY: Game 2 of Bucks-Pacers begins with pregame at 7 p.m. on WKTY. Tune in on 96.7 FM / 580 AM. The Brewers-Pirates will be on WIZM, beginning at 5:05 p.m.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the lineup, the Milwaukee Bucks had to depend on 33-year-old Damian Lillard to secure the playoff-opening win.
Lillard scored all 35 of his points in the first half, and the Bucks beat their nemesis, the Indiana Pacers, 109-94. Lillard rested the second half.
Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton, who has destroyed Milwaukee this season, had just nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Against the Bucks in five regular-season games, the 24-year-old averaged 27 points on 47 percent shooting. Yesterday, he shot just seven times, despite playing 38 minutes.
Lillard had this to say of Haliburton, who mimicked the veteran in the NBA’s in-season tournament.
TOP PHOTO: Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts from the bench during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)