As Damian Lillard crumpled to the floor with 6:11 to go in the first quarter of Game 4, the Milwaukee Bucks’ hopes for the 2024–25 NBA season were extinguished.
The first two games of the team’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers proved Giannis Antetokounmpo, in all his greatness, wasn’t enough on his own. Lillard missed Game 1 as he recovered from a blood clot and managed to suit up for Game 2, but clearly didn’t have his legs under him after being sidelined since March 18. The Bucks lost both contests despite the “Greek Freak” averaging 35 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. In Game 3, Lillard looked closer to full strength; he did not shoot the ball well at all, but was a +16 in 32 minutes as the Bucks beat the Pacers, 117–101, to bring the series to 2–1.
