The Milwaukee Bucks found a way to beat the Indiana Pacers on Sunday without their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo of Athens, Greece, who was out with a calf injury. They relied on the hot hand of point guard Damian Lillard of Oakland, California, who had an unbelievable first half.
Lillard set a Bucks franchise record for most points in a single half with 35 as the Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers 109-94 in game one of the Eastern Conference first round playoff series. The old record belonged to Antetokounmpo, who had 33 points in the second half of a 105-98 Bucks win over the Phoenix Suns in game six of the 2021 NBA Finals.
In the opening 24 minutes, Lillard made 11 of 19 field goals, six of 10 three-point shots, and all seven free throws. He was a +16 and helped the Bucks take a 69-42 first half lead.
However, even though Lillard was great in the first half, he was horrendous in the second half. Lillard was so terrible, he did not score a single point. He took five shots, missed them all, and was awful defensively, as he was a -22.
Sleepy Floyd of Gastonia, North Carolina has the NBA record for most points by a player in a single postseason half with 39. He accomplished the feat for the Los Angeles Lakers on May 10, 1987 in game four of the Western Conference Semifinals. Interestingly, the 39 second half points were not enough as the Lakers lost 129-121 to the Golden State Warriors. Floyd ended up with 51 points. Another interesting statistic from the series, is the fact game four was the only game the Lakers lost in the series as they beat the Warriors in five games.
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