Damian Lillard scored all 35 of his points before halftime and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to defeat the Indiana Pacers 109-94 on Sunday in their Eastern Conference playoff opener.
The Bucks needed Lillard to step up without Antetokounmpo, whose return date is uncertain as he deals with a strained left calf that also caused him to miss Milwaukee’s final three regular-season games.
With Antetokounmpo watching from the bench, Lillard came through by setting a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game.
