The Milwaukee Bucks lost the first half and couldn’t come back against the Indiana Pacers 117-98. Giannis led the way with 36 points and 12 boards but a balanced effort from Indiana led by Pascal Siakam with 25 gave them the series lead.
Game Recap
The Bucks came into this one playing several possessions of serious basketball on both ends of the floor. Then… well. Indiana started rolling in the paint, from deep, in transition, whatever you’d like, with a particularly strong showing from Andrew Nembhard. Milwaukee, on the other hand, would be mostly stagnant. Giannis got some lay-ins but was usually fouled en route and had a brutal time at the line, earning him a team-worst plus-minus in the frame. It was 33-25 after one.
It was more of the same in the second quarter. The Bucks simply had no answer for the Pacers, although more of the damage would come from outside (feat. Bennedict Mathurin). Meanwhile, Milwaukee shot a scorching 1-11 from deep, which certainly didn’t help matters. After Giannis, the next highest scorer for the Bucks was GTJ with 6, explaining their second-quarter output of a measly 18. The starters were responsible for a -11 differential in the last few minutes of the quarter. The Pacers led by 24 (!) at the break, 67-43.
Indiana steadily increased their lead out of the half, with Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner adding a couple buckets to their already solid outings. The starters got another several minutes of run, and between Giannis and Brook at least kept things even. It would remain even through the middle of the quarter—a “revelation,” as I said on Playback—but it was still bad vibes, given the 20+ point deficit. But! What should be the starting lineup (more on that in the extended) got their act together, going on an 11-1 run to cut the lead to a mere 17 for a 93-76 ballgame.
Hope is a fickle thing, and it did not visit Milwaukee in the final frame. Treading water is fine when you’re not already drowning. But AJ Green didn’t hear me, sinking some threes among other Bucks on a 12-3 run to bring the Bucks within spitting distance (i.e., 12)! But time is also a fickle thing, and it was draining quickly. Indiana went cold thanks to better defense from the Cream City squad, but Milwaukee couldn’t keep hitting the threes it needed to get back into the game. A Turner three and Kuz checking in were the daggers in this one with two minutes to go and the Bucks still down 12.
Stat That Stood Out
Indiana had 13 more assists than the Bucks, which was indicative of (a) better ball movement and (b) better shooting.
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