Game 1 of the first-round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers is scheduled for Sunday. It’s the Bucks who have home-court advantage in this opening-round clash as they host Tyrese Haliburton and the No. 6 seed Pacers.
Damian Lillard could be asked to take on a much heavier load on offense on Sunday if Giannis Antetokounmpo is unable to suit up. This is after the two-time NBA MVP suffered a calf strain that has forced him to sit out Milwaukee’s last three games.
Milwaukee Bucks News: Damian Lillard Reacts to Indiana Pacers Playoffs Matchup
You have to note that the Pacers enter this series with a considerable psychological advantage over their opponents. This is after Indiana beat the Bucks four out of five times this season.
For his part, however, Lillard isn’t sweating it. In fact, the eight-time All-Star is relishing the opportunity to face off against a familiar foe:
“I feel good about it,” Lillard said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I think the one thing about the playoffs, especially this season, everybody can beat everybody. That’s really how I feel about it. Happy that we got home court and it’s a team that we familiar with. We know they like to play fast. They score a lot of points. There’s only a few teams that score over 120, we one of ’em and they one of ’em. We just gotta know what their strengths are, which we know well, and we gotta try and take as many of those things away and make it a tougher game for ’em.”
A significant portion of Indiana’s strength stems from Haliburton, who is currently having the best season of his career. It goes without saying that Lillard and Co. will need to do something to try and contain Haliburton in this series. Failing to do so could lead to catastrophic results for the Bucks and their championship aspirations this season.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
