Damian Lillard sets new Bucks playoff record with 35 points in 1st half

Damian Lillard set a Milwaukee Bucks postseason record by scoring 35 points in the first half of Milwaukee’s Game 1 victory in their Eastern Conference NBA first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. 

Lillard scored the most points by a Bucks player in either half of a playoff game. Giannis Antetokunmpo holds the single-game playoff scoring record for Milwaukee. He has 50 points in a title-clinching Game 6 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

With Antetokunmpo on the bench with a strained left calf Sunday, the Bucks called Lillard early and often. Consecutively, Lillard secured 19 points in the opening period. That is the highest individual first-quarter total in a playoff opener since 1997. He had 35 points by halftime, the highest individual first-half total in a playoff game.

Lillard’s feat came after Kevin Durant had 38 at the break for the Golden State Warriors in a 2019 first-round game with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lillard scored 16 of the Bucks’ first 20 points, all in the opening nine minutes. He capped his 19-point first quarter by hitting a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Furthermore, he was also fouled while making a 3-pointer. He later completed a four-point play that handed Milwaukee a 30-point lead in the first half.

During that remarkable first-half performance, Damian Lillard delivered 11 of 19 from the floor. He sent 6 of 10 from the 3-point range, and 7 of 7 on free-throw attempts. This accounts for all his points in the Bucks 109-94 victory.