Damian Lillard's 35-point 1st half helps Bucks beat Pacers 109-94 without Giannis in playoff opener

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard’s sensational start ensured the Milwaukee Bucks would fare just fine without Giannis Antetokounmpo in their playoff opener.

Lillard scored all 35 of his points before halftime and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-94 on Sunday while Antetokounmpo watched from the bench.

“I don’t think that it’s all on me but I know that I’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive and I’ve got to step forward a little bit more assertively,” Lillard said. “In the playoffs ... it’s about setting a tone. We’re going to see this team a lot of times, and you want to establish yourself, especially on your home floor. That was just my mentality, to come out and try to set the tone.”

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. Game 2 of the playoff series is Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Lillard came through by setting a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game. He didn't score at all and attempted only five shots in the second half as the Pacers focused on slowing him down, but the damage was done by that point.

“He's got that prizefighter-like mentality,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “It's almost like he's training for the fight. When the bell rings, he seems to be ready.”

This was Lillard's first postseason game since 2021. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers before the Bucks acquired him in a trade.

“The last two years, not being in the playoffs, it sucked,” Lillard said. “Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain't never been able to go to Coachella. It's playing in the playoffs every year. Just having that long summer, it was like, man, I was over that.”

Pascal Siakam had 36 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who hadn't scored fewer than 99 points in the regular season while averaging a league-high 123.3 points per game. The Pacers shot 8 of 39 from 3-point range.

Indiana, which had won four of its five regular-season meetings with the Bucks, is making its first playoff appearance since 2020. The Pacers haven't advanced beyond the opening round since 2014.

“It's easy to just say we missed shots and now we're nervous or whatever,” said Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, who had nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. “Whatever you all are going to run with, it doesn't matter. I just feel like we missed shots, at the end of the day. The ball wasn't hopping. And they made shots in the first half and that kind of dug us a hole.”

Khris Middleton had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Lillard had 19 points in the opening period, the highest first-quarter point total by any player in a playoff opener since at least 1997. He had the highest first-half point total for any player in a postseason contest since Kevin Durant had 38 at the break for the Golden State Warriors in a 2019 first-round game with the Los Angeles Clippers.

He then got some help from his teammates while taking a well-deserved breather. Milwaukee outscored Indiana 14-3 while Lillard was on the bench for nearly the first five minutes of the second quarter.

Once Lillard returned, he picked up right where he’d left off. He sank a 3-pointer while getting fouled and completed a four-point play to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 65-35. The Bucks were ahead 69-42 at halftime.

“The first half was embarrassing,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “No excuses. We’ve simply got to come out better. It was ugly, and we all own it.”

Indiana closed the third quarter with nine straight points to get Milwaukee’s lead down to 83-71, but the Bucks regained control.

Jae Crowder and Malik Beasley made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to start an 8-0 run that extended Milwaukee’s lead to 99-77 with 8:10 left. Milwaukee stayed ahead by at least 14 the rest of the way.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts from the bench during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez tries to get by Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Patrick Beverley gets past Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam blocks the shot of Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard gets past Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard gets past Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard reacts after making a shot and being fouled during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard gets past Indiana Pacers' Andrew Nembhard during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA playoff basketball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this postseason like a man savoring every moment of his return.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year's postseason with a knee injury had a strong first-round series against the New York Islanders, a physical presence with size and speed in the Hurricanes' aggressive-forechecking style. Now, with the Hurricanes preparing to face the New York Rangers in the second round, the player known around the locker room as “Svech” is eager to keep things rolling.

“I just want to go there and enjoy it,” Svechnikov said. “Obviously I had a tough time missing playoffs. I’m sure I would’ve helped a little bit. I’m just going there and enjoying my game and trying to give it my best shot there.”

Svechnikov, the No. 2 draft pick in 2018, developed into a talented contributor during the Hurricanes' climb from a nine-year postseason drought to making six straight playoff trips. But roughly a month after playing in his first NHL All-Star Game, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in March 2023 and missed Carolina's push for the Stanley Cup.

Ultimately, he could only help by cranking the “storm warning” siren announcing the Hurricanes' charge onto the ice in front of a roaring home crowd for the playoff opener. The Hurricanes missed him badly when they ran up against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, losing four in a row by a one-goal margin.

That highlighted a longtime desire of Carolina to have more high-end finishers and scoring depth, but the impact was just as much about missing the 24-year-old's physical, hard-skating style on a roster featuring speed and skill on the top lines. Beyond his scoring was his ability to win puck battles for a team that thrives on sustaining possession in the offensive zone.

“If you look at our team, he’s by far our best power forward,” president and general manager Don Waddell said. "He finishes his checks. He’s not afraid of anybody. He gives us some of that muscle up front that we missed last year.”

Svechnikov recovered from knee surgery in time to skate with the team to open training camp, and he made his season debut in the ninth game in late October. He finished with 19 goals and 33 assists in 59 regular-season games. He also showed some familiar flair with another of his lacrosse-style goals — scooping up the puck from behind the net and wrapping it around the pipes to jam it past the goalie — in a win at Boston in April.

Carolina's Sebastian Aho, who centers the top line and had Svechnikov on the wing for much of the Islanders series, pointed to value beyond goals and points for a player who is plus-8 through his first 45 career playoff games. Svechnikov's return is one of the reasons Carolina entered the playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook,

“He's a beast out there,” Aho said.

Svechnikov scored his first goal of the postseason in the clinching Game 5 win. The Russian skated up the right side on the power play and attempted a pass to Aho near the crease, with the puck bouncing off the stick of Islanders defenseman Robert Bortuzzo as Bortuzzo reached forward and tried to stay with Aho — an example of how Svechnikov's play can push opponents into pressured and compromised positions.

“It just felt like every time he was on the ice, he was a force,” coach Rod Brind'Amour said afterward.

Svechnikov also had four assists against the Islanders, with his five points tied for second with Martin Necas and behind only Seth Jarvis (seven). Meanwhile, Svechnikov's average 18:07 ice time ranked fourth among the forwards behind only Aho (21:50), Jarvis (20:17) and Jake Guentzel (19:57). He also generally avoided taking bad penalties of late.

Svechnikov was eager to get started before the first puck drop, saying it felt like “like three years ago” since his last postseason game (it was only two, a Game 7 home loss to the Rangers in the 2022 second round ) and that he had “goosebumps” at the thought of returning.

Still, he also picked up a few observations while watching last year's run, namely about the value of patience and finding a way to “slow down a little bit” amid everyone frantically skating on adrenaline amid the playoff chaos.

Just don't expect too much of that.

“I don't really worry about (scoring),” Svechnikov said. “It's playoffs. I just go out there and try to have fun and obviously help the team to win the games. That's all I do.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal with Sebastian Aho (20) as New York Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck (15) skates by during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) controls the puck against the New York Islanders during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)