In a game that they never were able to control, the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Indiana Pacers, 125-108. The series is now tied at a game apiece headed to Indianapolis.
It was an energizing start from both teams early on with Milwaukee gaining a quick lead thanks to some threes from Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard. However, the Pacers didn’t go belly up as they did in Game 1 and instead held strong. After 12 minutes of play, they snagged a 30-26 lead.
Points in the paint broke the Bucks’ back in the second quarter. Indiana racked up 22 of them compared to Milwaukee’s eight. Pascal Siakam was inflicting a bulk of the damage, dialing in for 21 points at the break. That helped provide the Pacers with a 60-55 lead headed into the third.
Right out of the gates, Indiana stormed out to a double-digit lead. Milwaukee would muscle back to make bring it back to single-digits, but the Tyrese Haliburton-led Pacers offense coasted to an 92-83 lead going into the fourth.
Down the stretch, the Bucks just flat out lacked the discipline needed to win. Poor shots, five-second regulations, and more continued the streak of blunders, which cascaded into a 125-108 Pacers Victory
Stat That Stood Out
Pascal Siakam continued to frustrate Milwaukee after a strong Game 1. He finished this one with 37 points, coming up with numerous clutch baskets. That’d serve as a new playoff career-high, beating his previous career-high 36 points in Game 1. The points in the paint disparity was led by him, as he served as the Pacers’ go-to option for the majority of the night. No matter what the Bucks threw at him, they couldn’t produce an answer. He was a big reason as to why Indiana was able to snatch away homecourt advantage in this series that’s now tied a game apiece.
