The Milwaukee Bucks(1-1) were thrashed by the Indiana Pacers(1-1) by 17 points. This is a huge win for Indiana, as they were able to tie the series. The Bucks will most likely continue to struggle without their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Pacers need to keep their foot on the gas now. This is a winnable series with the Greek Freak sitting on the sidelines. Thanks to the effort of Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner they were able to take the win Tuesday night. However, Tyrese Haliburton will have to step up his game if they wish to take the series lead.
Pascal Siakam Carries Pacers to Victory
Tuesday night, Siakam gave the team 37 points, six assists, and 11 rebounds with no turnovers. He is the first player to do this in a playoff game since the merger. Without their star big man, the Bucks struggled heavily to cover Siakam in the paint. He was 75% from the three and 69.6% from the field.
The starting power forward was a fantastic midseason pickup for the Pacers. With Tyrese Haliburton having some challenging games, Siakam has stepped up to get them their wins. If he stays healthy, he will be a key piece for the team for as long as they have him.
Will The Bucks Make it Past Round One?
Right now, Milwaukee is relying on Damian Lillard to get them past the Pacers. He is an incredible player who is capable of providing in high-pressure situations. However, he is not the guy who can get this job done. The Bucks need Antetokounmpo if they want to make it to round two. It doesn’t matter how good Lillard is; he will not lead them through this round.
In Game Two, Brook Lopez managed to get his team 22 points. Also, Khris Middleton provided 15 points, and Bobby Portis Jr. gave them 14. However, they are missing a giant number of points and rebounds typically given to them by Antetokounmpo. The starters and bench are going to have to provide them with more.
If the Bucks All-Star power forward can’t come back for this round, the other starters must step up. Lillard can’t do this alone. In their first game against Indiana, they won because the Pacers players couldn’t score outside of Siakam. In this game, Turner and Andrew Nembhard played better, leading to the win.
Tyrese Haliburton Falling Flat
In his first game against the Bucks, Haliburton had nine points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. In the second game, he put up 12 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds. These stats would be ok for a bench player getting 15 minutes a game. It isn’t the stats of an All-Star player putting in 35.2 minutes per game in the playoffs.
During the regular season, the young guard was putting up great numbers. He was averaging 20.1 points per game, 10.9 assists per game, and 3.9 rebounds per game. This drop definitaly effected them in the first game. He is lucky that his teammates all played well in game two.
Game three is scheduled for Friday, April 26, at 5:30 pm. It will be a home game for the Pacers, and Antetokounmpo won’t be coming back anytime soon. Hopefully, the hometown crowd can get Haliburton to hit his threes and play better ball.
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Elizabeth is an avid watcher of all things sports. However, the Boston sports teams will always be her number one. Her favorite sport to watch is basketball, but she also enjoys professional wrestling, soccer, and baseball. You can find her on X @edellapiana1 to check out more content.
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