Milwaukee — The audience at Fiserv Forum stood up in expectation as the seconds ticked away at the end of the first quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 109-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday. Damian Lillard dribbled between his legs a few times to get into a rhythm before stepping back and hitting a buzzer-beating shot from 28 feet. 

“This is what y’all brought me here for,” Lillard — whose 35 points for the game all came in the first half — told the ecstatic crowd as he walked back to the bench with a season-high for points in a quarter with 19. 

Though Lillard’s jumper only gave the Bucks a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, it seemed like a dagger. The Pacers, who were out of sync from the start, never recovered, and Lillard only improved in the second quarter.

“He carried us,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “He was unbelievable. I thought he played under control, but very aggressive, which is the way we wanted him.”

By the time Lillard returned to the game in the middle of the second quarter, the Bucks’ second unit had extended the lead to 20. Lillard took it from there. Over a dramatic five-minute span, he scored 16 more points to increase the Bucks’ lead to 27 at halftime and eliminate any doubt about the game’s fate.

The Pacers aren’t known for their defense, but Lillard’s shot-making ability was incredible at times. Five of his six 3-pointers were made from 27 feet or more away from the basket (the NBA 3-point line is 23 feet and nine inches out), with three coming off the dribble.

Lillard’s 35 points set a Bucks franchise playoff record for points in a half and tied for the eighth-most points he scored in a game during the regular season. Perhaps the most revealing statistic was that they were more than Jrue Holiday (33) or Eric Bledsoe (27) ever had in a single postseason game with the Bucks.

As Lillard stated, performances like this were the reason the Bucks made the big trade to acquire Holiday last summer. His postseason experience and ability to lead the offense for stretches, games, and even entire series offered the Bucks a higher ceiling than prior iterations of the franchise.

Whether this version of Lillard would make the playoffs was questionable following a relatively uneven regular season. A 2-of-14 performance in last Sunday’s finale, as well as a slew of minor injuries (groin, adductor, Achilles) that kept him off the practice court earlier in the week, raised further worries.

Lillard admitted he was “concerned” about some of the nagging issues, but said the time off was “huge” to get his body feeling right. Once that was resolved, everything else fell into place. 

“His confidence is literally unshakeable,” Rivers said. “It just really is. It’s funny, he loves boxing, that’s where we kinda connect. He’s got that prize fighter-like mentality. It’s almost like he was training for the fight, and then when the bell rings he seems to be ready. That’s his mentality and that’s how he plays.”

Lillard did not score in the second half, but he didn’t need to as the Bucks cruised to a series-opening victory without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is out indefinitely with a calf injury. The Bucks’ Game 1 win may allow them to be more cautious with their superstar, but Rivers stated before the game that he has no idea when he will return.

As long as the two-time MVP is absent, the Bucks will rely on Lillard’s first-half performance. If he can stick around when Antetokounmpo returns, that would be ideal. Lillard, who hasn’t gone to the playoffs since 2021 and has never won a championship, is fully motivated to make it happen. 

“Last two years not being in the playoffs, it sucked,” Lillard said. “It was early vacations. Last year I went to Coachella. I ain’t ever been able to go to Coachella, I was playing in the playoffs every year. Just having that long summer, I was over that. 

“Being able to be in a playoff series on a championship team and a championship organization, knowing that we got an opportunity for [a title], I think that was the thing I was looking forward to the most. I moved my life and moved my career and did all of these things and made my life a little bit harder away from basketball for this opportunity. Coming into it, in my mind and in my heart, I was like I can’t come this far and not at least put everything into it and put my best foot forward.”