The Milwaukee Bucks were able to complete their redemption arc after Tuesday’s heartbreaker, surviving a late rush from the Indiana Pacers before a sellout crowd at Fiserv Forum. Giannis had an excellent performance with another double-double of 34 points and 10 rebounds. Aaron Nesmith had 30 points for the Pacers on 6/7 shooting from beyond the arc.
Game Recap
The atmosphere inside Fiserv Forum seemed primed for a Bucks-Pacers playoff series rematch and both sides delivered to begin the game. The Bucks were able to jump out to a four-point lead, before the Pacers started to find their way into the game. Between Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, Indy hit three straight three-pointers to give themselves a three-point lead 5:38 to go in the quarter. Milwaukee responded with a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead, capped off by dunks from Giannis and Brook Lopez. After a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, the two teams traded baskets until the Bucks finally found their footing from three-point range. Gary Trent Jr. and Damian Lillard hit three shots from beyond-the-arc combined before Kevin Porter Jr. ended the frame with three free throws to give the Bucks a 38-30 lead heading into the second quarter.
Milwaukee carried that momentum from the first with an 11-0 run to open the second quarter, giving them a 19-point lead. Indiana would respond with two quick baskets from Pascal Siakam, forcing a timeout from Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Those two shots were part of an 11-0 run for the Pacers to bring the game back within eight. AJ Green hit his first three of the night to finally stop the bleeding for the Bucks. Baskets began coming in bunches on both sides, with Obi Toppin hitting a couple of threes in between a Dame three-ball. After the dust settled on that stretch, the Bucks held an eight-point lead with 1:22 to go in the stanza. Siakam continued his impressive first half for the Pacers, hitting a runner and then hit a three-pointer after a Giannis layup to cut the Bucks’ lead down to 65-60 heading into the locker room.
Giannis came out of the third quarter gates hot, scoring 10 of the first 12 points for the Bucks to open the frame to give them an eight-point lead. Siakam continued to light it up for the Pacers, scoring on back-to-back possessions to cut the Bucks’ lead down to just five, forcing a timeout from Rivers. Indana got it down to just four points with 4:44 to go, and after that the Bucks locked in on both ends. To end the quarter, Milwaukee went on a 16-2 run to give themselves an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The bench backcourt duo of GTJ and KPJ were at it once again, scoring 10 of the final 12 points for the Bucks to give them a 100-82 lead.
Milwaukee continued their hot shooting, ballooning their lead all the way to 21 points before the Pacers called timeout once again. This wouldn’t be a rivalry game if the other side quit, which the Pacers didn’t, trying to slowly chip away at the Bucks’ lead. With 3:21 to go, Indiana did get it down to just 11 points after a 22-12 extended run by the Pacers. Things got very interesting down the stretch with 2:46 to go, as Giannis picked up his sixth foul after a drive in which it appeared Andrew Nembhard initiated the contact. The Pacers cut Milwaukee’s lead down to six points in the aftermath, but a clutch three from Taurean Prince gave the Bucks a nine-point cushion with 1:50 to go. Aaron Nesmith had himself a night, as on the following possession he drained his sixth three to get himself to 30 points, making it a six point game with 50.9 seconds left. Despite missing back-to-back shots, the Bucks grabbed two big offensive rebounds, but the Pacers forced a steal leading to Siakam layup to make it a four-point game with 18.2 left. Prince hit two free throws to make it a six-point game, but Nembhard came the other way and drilled a three to cut it to a three-point game. On the ensuing inbound, they trapped Prince in the corner and a foul was called on the floor once he fell out of bounds. Carlisle challenged the call, but it only resulted in Nembhard being charged with a foul, leading to two more Prince makes from the free throw line. Siakam came the other way to try and hit a late three, but missed and the ball was rebounded by Porter. He was fouled and hit two more free throws to finally ice the game.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks bench continued to be a great source of offense, despite missing Bobby Portis due to a 25-game suspension. KPJ, Trent, and Green combined for 35 points, while the Pacers bench had just 18 points.
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