Many NBA analyses have said if the Milwaukee Bucks are without Giannis Antetokounmpo it will be hard for this team to make it far into the Eastern Conference playoffs. Well, they just proved all the doubters wrong, as they blew out the Indiana Pacers in a 109-94 Game One victory. Damian Lillard led the way for Milwaukee with a 35-point outing in the win.
Milwaukee needs three more wins to advance into the second round. They’ll match up with the Pacers on Tuesday night for Game Two of this well-anticipated series. The Bucks must keep playing like they did during Game One if they want to find any playoff success without their MVP in Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee Bucks Ecstatic 109-94 Game One Win Over the Pacers

Both teams kept it pretty even through the first couple of minutes of action. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Milwaukee went on a 10-2 run to give them a nine-point lead heading into the second quarter. The Bucks went off in the second, outscoring the Pacers 39-21. Milwaukee shot 62 percent from the field, and 50 percent from beyond the arc in that second quarter of play. Lillard went on to have 16 of Milwaukee’s 39 points, helping his team take an outrageous 27-point lead heading into halftime.
Lillard poured it on in the first half finishing the first two quarters with a ridiculous 35 points, along with three rebounds, and two assists. Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points while having five rebounds, and a block. Tyrese Haliburton had just seven points in the first half of his playoff debut. Milwaukee’s shooting was the key to their success in the first half. The Bucks shot 51 percent from the field, and a near 42 percent from three, while the Pacers put up 36 percent of their shots, and only made 17 percent of their three-point attempts. The Milwaukee Bucks also committed just two turnovers in the first half compared to Indiana’s seven.
Pacers Try for Comeback In the Third Quarter, Bucks Hold It Down for the Win

Indiana came back in the second half looking to make this game interesting. They cut the deficit to just 12 points as they shot 44 percent from the floor, next to the Bucks 33 percent. Milwaukee missed all seven of their attempts from beyond the arc in this quarter. Only three Bucks scored during the third quarter, Khris Middleton made all four of his attempts with eight third-quarter points. Bobby Portis Jr. had four points on two of six shooting, and Brook Lopez scored just two points.
Milwaukee made sure they would secure this Game One win. They piled it on in the fourth quarter, and although they only outscored the Pacers by three in the final twelve minutes of this game, their great shooting is what put them on top once again. The final score of 109-94 came about with two minutes left in the game, neither team could get off a shot with the Milwaukee Bucks taking a well-earned win.

Although he scored 35 points in the first half, Damian Lillard could not knock down any of his five-shot attempts. The Bucks point guard also finished with six rebounds, and three assists in the win. Khris Middleton had a double-double in Milwaukee’s win with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 36 points while also recording 13 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks. Tyrese Haliburton had just nine points, scoring just two points in the second half on one of three shooting from the field.
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