All-NBA guard Damian Lillard returned to action for the first time since March 18, but couldn’t help the Milwaukee Bucks overcome the Indiana Pacers.
Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists to lead the Pacers past the Bucks 123-115 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Indiana has won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and never trailed in this one. The Pacers had lost three of four regular-season games to the Bucks. The teams will meet for the 18th time in the last two seasons on Friday, when Game 3 is played in Milwaukee.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and Lillard had 14 points in his first game back from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Lillard was 4-of-13 from the field in 37 minutes, in his first game of action since March 18 and his first playoff game with Antetokounmpo, who heard a steady diet of countdowns on his free throws.
Bobby Portis Jr. finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and 12 rebounds for the Bucks.
The game had a little bit of everything. There was a scuffle in front of the Pacers bench that led to double technical fouls, words between multiple players in the final minutes, players repeatedly hitting the floor, a little zone defense, a smattering of full-court pressure and, of course, plenty of points.
But, Indiana controlled the entire game after racing to a 31-16 lead in less than 7 1/2 minutes. The Bucks used a late 13-0 run to get within 115-113 with 2:31 to go before Indiana closed it out with an 8-2 run to end the game.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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