SUMMARY
- Damian Lillard helped the Bucks secure a strong Game 1 victory against the Pacers without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- Shaquille O'Neal believes the Pacers will bounce back and win the series.
The Milwaukee Bucks had an incredible first-round opening game against the Indiana Pacers. Things were looking fairly grim as the Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo after he injured his left calf during one of their final games of the regular season. However, Damian Lillard honed in his dominant self and nearly outscored the Pacers by himself during the first half of the game.
PLAYOFF DAMIAN LILLARD AT THE BUZZER THATS 19 POINTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER🔥🔥⌚️🎯
pic.twitter.com/lovfdgGTdX— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) April 21, 2024
Lillard ended up scoring 35 points during the first half, but the 8x NBA All-Star didn’t continue with the same pace during the final 24 minutes of the game. Dame recognized the efforts that were made by the rest of his team as Khris Middleton stepped up and scored 23 points and 10 rebounds.
“This is what ya’ll brought me here for.” pic.twitter.com/JgjmxzbJeP
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 22, 2024
The Bucks were able to sustain a good lead over the Pacers during the first half due to Lillard’s scoring efforts. He had 19 points during the first quarter which included an impressive buzzer-beater. During the game, he was seen telling the home crowd, “This is what y’all brought me here for.” Milwaukee has taken Game 1 but there is still a possible six more to compete in.
Shaquille O’Neal says the Pacers cannot use experience as an excuse to lose vs Bucks
There were a few takeaways from the Bucks vs Pacers Game 1 according to Shaquille O’Neal and one of them was to never undermine Indiana. They have a regular series lead over the Bucks which included an In-Season Tournament win. During a live taping of Inside the NBA, O’Neal said, “You know, for Indiana, being inexperienced, being young, we’re not going to use that as an excuse. But I think it’s fair to say they’re not going to shoot 20% every game.”
Indiana only shot 21.1% from beyond the three-point arc while shooting 14-21 from the free-throw line. Shaq added, “Like Dame said, it’s a possible long series… Listen, all they have to do is get one. They’re a young, confident bunch. They will not be discouraged by this game. Kudos to the Milwaukee Bucks… but I’m still looking at Indiana for this series.” The Bucks held the Pacers to a score of 94, which was only the second time they recorded a score under 100 this season.
Can the Bucks sustain their hot start throughout the Pacers series?
Like a true veteran leader, Damian Lillard walked away with a bunch of pointers regarding the Bucks’ overall performance against the Pacers in Game 1. “We flew around defensively mostly in the first half. And in the fourth quarter when it came down to it, we flew around. You know, we didn’t give them anything free. We moved the ball, we set screens, we played for each other and we have good action offensively on top of that effort we had defensively,” he said following the game.
He added, “I think that type of effort and that type of focus that we had when we had success is definitely sustainable. But it’s a matter of staying disciplined enough and being able to sustain our focus.” The Bucks’ biggest win of the night was limiting Tyrese Haliburton to under 10 points and not giving him easy looks to score. This comes as a huge win without Giannis Antetokounmpo who will possibly return later this series.
“Last 2 years not being in the playoffs, it sucked…Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain’t ever been able to go to Coachella.”
– Damian Lillard 😂
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 22, 2024
Lillard also addressed being back in the playoffs for the first time in two years. He said, “Last 2 years not being in the playoffs, it sucked…Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain’t ever been able to go to Coachella.” Dame previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers and his final two seasons were pressed by injuries. Portland failed to make it to the playoffs and the Bucks ended up acquiring Lillard this past off-season.