by Jordan Morey
Going into Game 2, Indiana Pacers players and coaches swore they would turn up the intensity and return to their high-flying offensive ways after an “embarrassing” start to the playoffs.
On Tuesday in Milwaukee, the sixth-seeded Pacers made good on those promises, blasting the No. 3 Bucks 125-108 at Fiserv Forum to even their Eastern Conference first-round series 1-1.
Tuesday’s win was the Pacers’ first playoff victory since 2018. The series now shifts to Indianapolis, as the Blue and Gold host the Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
Indiana shot 55.1 percent as a team, matched a team playoff record 16 made 3-pointers, and dished out a Pacers NBA franchise playoff record 38 assists in the win. The Pacers held a 92-83 lead after three quarters before opening the final frame with a 25-8 run to seal it.
Five Pacers scored in double figures.
First-year Pacer Pascal Siakam was sensational from start to finish, finishing with 37 points on 65 percent shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds. After Siakam, Myles Turner scored 22 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists, Andrew Nembhard posted 20 points, and Tyrese Haliburton logged 12 points and 12 assists.
Siakam is the first Pacer since Reggie Miller (2001) to score at least 35 points in back-to-back games. Through two playoff games, Siakam leads all players in the postseason with 73 points.
Bucks guard Damian Lillard led his team with 34 points on 10-for-21 shooting, Brook Lopez scored 22, and Khris Middleton put in 15. Milwaukee shot 44.2 percent as a team and made 13 threes.
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed a second straight game for the Bucks on Tuesday as he recovers from a calf injury. His status for Game 3 is questionable.
“We’re going to have to find a way to keep our edge,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said postgame. “Sitting on a win like this for two days is going to be challenging. We’re going to have to keep our edge. I know that our building is going to be alive when we get back, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. I’m proud of the guys. Proud of the bounce back. Another great environment tonight.”
The Pacers got off to an electric start in Game 2, shooting 51.1 percent in the first half to lead the Bucks 60-55 at the break.
Like Game 1, Lillard carried the offensive load for the Bucks early, scoring 26 points on 7-for-12 shooting in the first half. Siakam also started strong, posting 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting and pulling down seven rebounds, while Obi Toppin gave the Blue and Gold a big boost off the bench with nine points and four boards in the first half.
After making just eight 3-pointers in their Game 1 loss, the Pacers made 10 threes in the first half on Tuesday.
Milwaukee came out on fire from beyond the arc, but the Pacers closed the final 4:43 of the first quarter on a 17-5 run to lead 30-26.
The Bucks made their first five 3-point attempts of the game, with Lopez draining three and Lillard hitting two, to lead 19-13 with 7:08 on the clock.
Following another Lillard bucket out of a timeout, the Pacers responded with an 11-2 run from 4:43 to 2:46, featuring two close-range buckets from Toppin and a 3-pointer by rookie Ben Sheppard, to give the Pacers their first lead at 24-23.
Lillard’s third 3-pointer tied the game at 26, but in the final 43 seconds of the first quarter, Siakam made a 9-foot bank shot and drained two free throws to push the Pacers ahead by four.
Lillard scored 15 points for the Bucks in the first quarter, and Siakam scored nine for the visitors.
Indiana led early in the second quarter until a 12-2 run by Milwaukee, which included a 9-0 scoring streak where Lillard added five more points, put the Bucks back in front 38-35 with 8:48 left in the half.
Over the next four minutes, the teams tied at 40, 45, and 48, as they traded 3-pointers before an 8-3 run in the final 3:53—highlighted by threes from Nembhard and Siakam—gave the Pacers an eight-point advantage at the break.
Nembhard scored nine of his playoff career-best 20 points in the third quarter, going 3-for-4 from the field and making a trio of free throws.
Out of the locker room, Indiana constructed a 9-3 run, during which Nembhard scored a pair of baskets and Aaron Nesmith drilled a 3-pointer, to give the Pacers a 69-68 lead with 9:28 left in the third quarter.
Five more points by Nembhard and a 3-pointer by Turner then extended the Blue and Gold lead to as many as 11, but an 8-0 run from the Bucks put them back up 79-78 with 3:58 on the clock.
A 13-5 Pacers run in the final 3:19 of the third quarter, with T.J. McConnell tallying the final four points, put the Pacers ahead 92-83.
The Pacers made 14 of 20 shots (70 percent) in the fourth quarter, with seven different players recording a bucket. Siakam and Turner each scored eight points in the final frame.
Indiana opened the fourth quarter on a 20-4 run, making eight of their first 10 shots, to lead 109-92 with 7:03 left in the game. That lead then extended to 25-6 to make it 115-92 with just under six minutes left, and the Bucks never threatened from there.
During the 25-6 scoring spree, six players scored baskets, with Turner scoring eight points, Siakam scoring four, and Haliburton hitting a 3-pointer.
Indiana outrebounded Milwaukee 45-40 and outscored the Bucks 52-36 in the paint. The Pacers finished with just five turnovers in the game and led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Friday’s home game will be the first for the Pacers in the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. The 2020 playoffs were held in the “bubble tournament” in Orlando.
“I’m expecting it to be unbelievable. No doubt about that,” Haliburton said. “We’ve had regular season crowds better than what we’ve played in these last two games. We expect a great crowd. A lot of people are excited about what’s to come in the series. Just the energy in the city right now with everything that’s going on, but especially with us. We’re just excited to go.”
Inside the Numbers
Indiana had five turnovers and Milwaukee finished with seven.
The Pacers went 9-for-14 from the free throw line and Bucks finished 19-for-21
Myles Turner matched career playoff bests for field goals (9) and 3-pointers (3) and set a new personal best for assists in the postseason (6).
In fast-break points, the Pacers outscored the Bucks 14-5.
Pacers rookie Jarace Walker and second-year guard Kendall Brown made their debuts on Tuesday.P
You Can Quote Me on That
“Obviously there was a lot of better things tonight. We were more consistent, playing with more force, playing with more attitude. There were some tough stretches in the game. I liked the way we kept our poise and our aggression. We kept attacking. It’s going to be a long series, there’s a lot of stuff going on throughout. Different adjustments and different rotations … this, that and the other.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on the win
“Pascal is a guy that naturally has a personality and presence that’s poised. He just doesn’t get rattled. He plays the game at his pace. I thought defensively tonight he was excellent. Everybody did better tonight than they did the other night, and he was one of many who stepped it up. He’s a unique player. His experience shows and he had a lot of big plays for us tonight.” – Carlisle on Siakam
“Nembhard was great in this game. The challenge of chasing Lillard around is a thankless one. It’s almost impossible. The way (Lillard) was throwing in those shots early, it was almost like deja vu again. After the first game, our guys realized this is the kind of stuff that happens in playoff series. Guys do amazing things and make it look routine. We were able to absorb that. I thought Drew’s aggression on offense in the second half was a major key to the game. He made big buckets, got to the free throw line, got a couple offensive rebounds.” – Carlisle on Nembhard
“Tyrese was great. Who cares about (12) points? It doesn’t matter…He orchestrated. He got the ball to the right people at the right time and made important shots. I’m really proud of how he managed the game. Sometimes in the playoffs, you have to manage the game and do your job defensively within the system. He did those things tonight.” – Carlisle on Haliburton
“I think maybe just a little bit more movement. Getting more involved and understanding they are going to put a lot more eyes on Tyrese, Pascal and that’s going to get me open. I’ve got to be aggressive and knock down shots.“ – Nembhard on his offense in Game 2
“I love competing at the highest level. I’ve always loved competing. This is the epitome of competition. It’s fun out there.” – Nembhard on the playoffs and showing more emotion
“I think what impresses me so much about him is how comfortable and confident he feels in these moments. Obviously, he’s someone who has a lot of experience – playing for a championship team. You can just see that so clearly when he’s out there in a playoff game.” – Nembhard on Siakam
“Super excited. I can’t wait to play in Indy. I know our environment is going to be amazing, and they deserve it.” – Nembhard on Game 3
“It feels good. I think it feels good for everybody. This is just my second playoff game, but they always say the series doesn’t start until there’s a road win. We got that, so I guess it’s started. We’re excited to go home, have our fans with us. We expect an unbelievable environment. An environment we haven’t seen this playoffs with the noise level and stuff. We’re excited to go home and be in front of such a great crowd.” – Haliburton on the win, looking to Game 3
“He’s playing unbelievable. I think he’s just doing a good job of taking what the defense gives him. They’re trying to cross-match and put their bigs on him, and basically live with him shooting those mid-range jumpers, which is where he makes a living. He’s doing a great job of just taking what the defense gives him, not forcing…He has been highly efficient these last two games.” – Haliburton on Siakam
“They’re going to give me different looks. I expect to see a lot of different things out there. I just have to do what I can to attack that. I think offensively we just did a great job of controlling the pace. They fully dictated how fast the game was played, which is to their favor which is slower. Picking up full court to try and get us to play slower. We got enough stops which allowed us to get out in transition and that changed the dynamic of the game.” – Haliburton on the Bucks guarding him and the offense
“I think our second unit did a good job of controlling the pace. We got enough stops that we needed to and got out and ran…We just got enough stops when we needed to. Not fouling. We know that when these guys drive, they’re hunting fouls, hunting free throws. We did a good job of showing our hands, getting rebounds and getting out running.” – Haliburton on turning the game early in the fourth quarter
“He just did a good job of attacking. That was a point of emphasis for us, for Drew to be more aggressive and downhill. He was unbelievable at it.” – Haliburton on Nembhard on offense
“Our intensity. I think that we kind of hit another level. As I alluded to earlier, I feel like that first game, we all had a lot of nerves coming into it. A lot of our first times (in the playoffs), I hadn’t been back in five years or something like that. I think we had a lot more poise tonight. And I think defensively we were able to establish ourselves.” -Turner on what improved from Game 1
“Any playoff win is great, but my eyes our on the prize right now. We’ll celebrate this tonight, but we’ve still got three more. More than anything, to be real, I’m just excited to get back to Gainbridge. It’s going to be a hell of an environment in there. I’ve been waiting a long time to give the home fans what they reserve. And I’m just really, really excited for that environment.” -Turner on getting the franchise’s first playoff win since 2018
“He’s leading by example. The stuff he’s talking about, he’s going out there and doing — grabbing boards, being so offensively effective, getting guys involved, speaking up. That’s the type of stuff that we need. He’s been a hell of an addition for us.” -Turner on Siakam’s impact
“It’s a make or miss league. I think I missed a lot of shots last game, but I was able to make up for it a bit this game. And then outside of that, just being patient, making reads. I was able to find guys in the corners, find guys, get guys more involved this game with a few assists…I knew I was going to come in here and make shots. I just kind of manifested it.” -Turner on his strong offensive night
“Drew never really got rattled. Even if Dame hit some hellacious shots, which he did these first two games. Even when Dame kind of started barking at him, I don’t think he really backed down. That shows a lot in this playoff atmosphere. To have an addition like that, someone who shows no fear on both ends of the floor, that’s what you need. I’m proud of his development. He’s going to be a big x-factor for us.” -Turner on Nembhard
“Just taking what’s out there. I don’t feel like I’m trying anything or going through anything, just playing in the flow of the offense and not thinking about anything.” -Siakam on his big scoring night
“My game is always flow, it’s just seeing what’s out there and just reacting. If it’s there, that’s what I’m going to do and I’m going to live with the results.” -Siakam on finding success in the mid-range
“I felt like every time they made a run, we were just there. I felt like the composure was there. I could see it in the eyes of the guys, just guys not panicking or guys being confident in the fact that if we executed the right way, we’ve got a chance.” – Siakam on the team’s poise
“It’s different. I’m usually not a talkative person. It’s something that maybe in the past in different situations it was just like, ‘Oh man, we hope that you talk a little bit more.’ But I’m always coming in, I’m putting the work in every single day and I kind of lead by example. But I thought I was challenged a little bit with this group to just continue to talk. I think it feels better when it feels like your voice is received well. Guys, once you talk, they look and they hear and if feels like they want to hear whatever information you have. That makes you feel even a little bit better. Especially for a person like me, that’s not what I do…I enjoy it. It’s another part of my growth as a player.” – Siakam on taking on more of leadership role in Indiana
Stat of the Night
The Pacers set an NBA franchise record for assists in a playoff game on Tuesday by dishing out 38 dimes.
Noteworthy
- Until the last two minutes, eight Pacers players took the floor. Eleven players went in during Game 1.
- Pascal Siakam is the first player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 to post 35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 65 percent shooting and no turnovers in a playoff game.
- Indiana had just five turnovers on Tuesday to go with 38 assists. They are the first team in more than 40 years to accomplish those numbers combined.
- This the third time the Pacers and Bucks have met in the postseason. Indiana won both series during the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons.
Up Next
The Pacers will host the Bucks in Game 3 on Friday, April 26 at 5:30 PM ET, the first playoff game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since 2019.
Originally posted on pacers.com