Damian Lillard scored all 35 of his points before halftime and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to defeat the Indiana Pacers 109-94 on Sunday in their Eastern Conference playoff opener.

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.

With Antetokounmpo watching from the bench, Lillard came through by setting a Bucks record for points in either half of a playoff game.

Paolo Banchero scored 26 points, Franz Wagner added 25 and Jonathan Isaac headed a shutdown defensive effort in his second start of the season for the Orlando Magic, who secured the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference on Sunday with a 113-88 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis scored 17 points each for Milwaukee. Damian Lillard added 16 points on 2-of-14 shooting for the Bucks, who finished third in the East at 49-33. They will play Indiana in the first round.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the injury-depleted Milwaukee Bucks 125-107 on Friday night to boost their hopes of taking the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Bucks played Friday without All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. They already had announced Wednesday that Antetokounmpo would miss the rest of the regular season with a strained left calf. Lillard was out with a sore left adductor. Milwaukee fell to 4-4 in games without Antetokounmpo this season.

The Bucks could have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a win. They still can clinch the No. 2 seed with a win at Orlando on Sunday or a New York Knicks home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he was more concerned with health than the standings.

Bobby Portis had 30 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five steals to help the Milwaukee Bucks withstand Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence and beat the Orlando Magic 117-99 on Wednesday night.

The Bucks played a night after Antetokounmpo left a 104-91 victory over the Boston Celtics because of a strained left calf. The Bucks announced Wednesday that the two-time MVP would miss the final three games of the regular season, though his availability for the start of the playoffs remains uncertain.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left late in the third quarter with a calf injury, but the Milwaukee Bucks hung on to beat the Boston Celtics 104-91 on Tuesday night in a game that featured an NBA record-low total of two free-throw attempts.

Milwaukee snapped a four-game skid as Patrick Beverley had 20 points and 10 rebounds after the Bucks shook up their lineup by having the veteran guard start ahead of Malik Beasley, who came off the bench for the first time all season.

Antetokounmpo was heading up the court late in the third quarter after a Celtics basket when he grabbed his left calf and took a seat. The two-time MVP was helped off the floor, and cameras showed him heading to the locker room under his own power.

Jalen Brunson scored 43 points and the New York Knicks surged in the second half to win 122-109 on Sunday and hand the Milwaukee Bucks their fourth consecutive loss.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in his return to action after missing the Bucks’ 117-111 loss to the Raptors on Friday due to an issue with his left hamstring. This marked just the fourth time in the last 29 games that the Bucks’ top three players – Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton – were all available.

Gary Trent Jr. scored 31 points and Immanuel Quickley narrowly missed a triple-double as the Toronto Raptors snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 117-111 victory over the slumping Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night.

Milwaukee, playing without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, lost for the fifth time in its last six games, with the last three coming against Washington, Memphis and Toronto, who are all well below .500. Antetokounmpo sat out with a left hamstring injury.

“These are situations where we’ve just got to have discipline and get the job done, and we haven’t,” Bucks All-Star Damian Lillard said. “But if you ask anybody in the league, they’ll tell you these are some of the hardest times of the season.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 35 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to an 111-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

The Bucks lost for the fourth time in their past five games as they've faltered while trying to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Brook Lopez paced the Bucks with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Bobby Portis had 19 points and Malik Beasley 10.

Corey Kispert scored 27 points and Deni Avdija added 23 to help the Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-113 on Tuesday night despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's triple-double.

Antetokounmpo had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists and reached double figures in all three categories by the end of the third quarter. That wasn't enough for Milwaukee, which came into the night with a 2 1/2-game lead over Cleveland for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had six dunks while scoring 36 points and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Bogdan Bogdanovic's 38 points to beat Atlanta 122-113 on Saturday night, ending the Hawks' four-game winning streak.

Antetokounmpo added 16 rebounds and Khris Middleton scored 21 points as the Bucks snapped a two-game losing streak.