Pacers take commanding 3-1 series lead with 126-113 Game 4 win over Bucks
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers could never quite shake the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but Tyrese Haliburton’s team eventually outlasted the bruised and short-handed Bucks 126-113 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
The Eastern Conference matchup heads back to Milwaukee on Tuesday night for Game 5 with the Bucks facing a first-round elimination for the second straight season.
"We have a lot of guys who have obviously been here before, been in these situations, been deep in the playoffs – we all know what we have to do," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. "We all knew what our role is, what our job is, how to approach these things. The young guys, they're smart. We have to set a good example for them. They know what to do. 'Dre's (Andre Jackson Jr.) been far in the (NCAA) tournament. AJ (Green's) smart. We're all capable of understanding the situation and responding the right way."
Lopez led the Bucks with 27 points on 12-of-18 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds. Khris Middleton had his third double-double of the series with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Nine other Bucks scored, but none reached double figures.
Middleton appeared to tweak his left ankle in the game and exited briefly, and Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said Pat Beverley hurt his ribs after a first quarter fall. For his part, though, Beverley insisted "nothing's wrong with me" after the game. Pat Connaughton also was hit in the face at one point, but all finished the game.
"Our guys were playing their hearts out," Rivers said. "They really were. I love that our team, no matter what anyone thought, they believed we could win this game. And it shows a lot about this basketball team. And what I loved about it the most is after the game they were disappointed they didn't win the game. This is a great group to coach, I'm telling you. I know we have a lot of stuff going on, you know. Just clutter. Injuries. But man, I'm loving this team every second that I'm with 'em. And today is another example of that."
Haliburton had 24 points while Myles Turner had 29 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Andrew Nembhard (15), Aaron Nesmith (13), Pascal Siakam (13) and Obi Toppin (13) also reached double figures.
Pacers three-point shooting keys victory
Tyrese Haliburton’s first-half buzzer-beating three-point attempt rattled in and out to the dismay of the home crowd, but it was one of just 10 misses from beyond the arc for Indiana in a hot-shooting first half.
Indiana was a sparkling 12 for 22 (54.5%) from behind the three-point line in the first half – and hovered around 60% for most of the opening 24 minutes – to take a 67-64 lead on the Bucks. Seven different Pacers hit triples, with center Myles Turner going 3 of 4.
BOX SCORE: Pacers 126, Bucks 113
The performance helped offset a balanced Milwaukee effort that saw 10 different Bucks score and shoot 59.6% overall. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, it was just 5 of 16 (31.3%) from behind the three-point line in the first half.
No doubt there was some thought on the Milwaukee side that some variance would creep back into the game, both in seeing Indiana cool off and the Bucks heat up.
But Haliburton came out of the break and knocked down three straight three-pointers to give his team a 76-66 lead.
"One big play was Haliburton's three to start the third," Rivers said. "We were trying to foul and we ended up giving him a dare shot and then he makes two more. I thought overall up until that point we were guarding him really well."
Milwaukee halved that disadvantage to 81-76 with 6:02 to go in the third quarter, but Turner knocked down another three-pointer less than two minutes later to give his team a 12-point lead. And it seemed that whenever the Bucks missed a three, the Pacers answered with one.
That was proved again in the fourth quarter when the Bucks once again made things tight, but Turner knocked down threes after Pat Connaughton and Brook Lopez missed theirs to give the Pacers a 14-point lead with 7:24 to go.
Turner hit a career-high 7 threes.
By the time Rivers pulled his starters with the Pacers up 122-105 with 2:10 to go, Indiana was 22 for 43 from distance while Milwaukee was just 10 for 29.
"We were just scrambling," Rivers said. "We knew the deal coming into tonight. We knew we were going to have to trap more. I said that before the game. We were going to have to do things that we don't do traditionally. I thought we hung in there. I really did."
Though the they won the points in the paint battle and were much tighter with their defensive rebounding, the 36-point difference in three-pointers (when the starter were in the game) were just too much for the Bucks to overcome.
Middleton puts together gritty effort for Bucks
In the opening seconds of the third quarter, the Bucks got a stop on one end and then worked the ball down the other end for a Lopez layup.
But as that play was ending, Middleton went tumbling hard onto the court and got up grimacing and limping badly. He couldn’t recover in time to prevent a Haliburton three-pointer and Rivers called timeout so his star could get off the court. Middleton limped right to the tunnel that leads to the Bucks locker room – but before the long timeout ended he was able to get back on the court.
"Just tougher (than I thought)," Rivers said. "I knew he was tough. But his mental toughness. His ability to score at his pace is unbelievable. He's been fantastic. Again, there's a lot of things I'm still learning about these guys and Khris is definitely one of them. Because I didn't have Khris most of the time I've been here, so it's really nice to see him. And he's healthy. When Khris Middleton is healthy, he's a problem."
Middleton began the day probable to play as he’s continued to fight through a sprained right ankle suffered in Game 2, and he took the challenge of being the Bucks’ primary ball handler, playmaker, scorer – all the while defending Siakam and Turner.
Middleton played 40 minutes and was a physical presence for the Bucks, as he then hit the court hard three times after his return from whatever shook him up early in the third quarter. He was called for his fourth foul with 7 minutes, 42 seconds to go and didn’t back down from there.
"He's so underrated," Lopez said. "And so it's no surprise to see him go out there and do what he does, but it's still so impressive to watch and so incredible to watch. I love seeing him perform. The way he plays at his speed, with such great precision. He's out there making incredible decisions, just slicing up the defense and making everyone that's on the floor better."
He was the table-setter on offense a team-high six assists, and often getting the second-side actions going for baskets even if he didn’t create the points. He led team in rebounds with 10, and scored 25 points on 9 of 25 shooting.
"I think it's just picking my spots, playing with dominance. I think even with Giannis and Dame out there I do the same thing. In the first half I was trying to play team basketball. So maybe the defense maybe relaxed on me and I can get other guys open. The majority of the first half I felt like it worked. Then we just missed some shots. That happens. So at times I gotta figure out when to be more aggressive. It's a balance. It's a fine line between being overly aggressive at times and taking bad shots for myself and just playing my game."
Bucks face long odds down 3-1 in series
In NBA history a 3-1 series deficit has been overcome just 13 times in 281 total series. The most recent examples came in the 2020 “bubble” playoffs, when Denver did it twice in beating Utah and Rivers’ Los Angeles Clippers team in consecutive rounds.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were the last team to do it on non-neutral courts, as they came back against the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title in 2016.
"Gotta try to protect home court for one, and then the motivation is to try to get back here," Middleton said of a potential Game 6. "I've been in this situation a couple times where we've been able to force another game. And I've been on the other side when we haven't. It could go either way, but we're gonna have to play as hard as we can, we have to execute our game plan, we have to keep guys in check and even though we've been down before we're down two guys now, we still got all the confidence in the world that we can get back here. I think that's the motivation."
The 2006 Phoenix Suns were the last team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the first round, beating the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Just one game at a time," Rivers said. "Here's the deal. We have two games left at home, they have one game left at home. That's how you can look at it. So, the first thing is, we have to win the first game at home. Then we can talk about the rest after that."
Rivers has never coached a team that overcame such a deficit but has coached three teams that lost three of them (2003 Orlando Magic first round, 2015 Clippers second round).
Evening the series and forcing a Game 7 at Fiserv Forum is also a tall proposition for the Bucks. It would first require a home win on Tuesday, but also require a victory in Indiana in Game 6 on May 2 – and the Bucks have lost five straight road playoff games and were only 18-22 on the road this season.
"We're some dogs, man," Bucks guard Malik Beasley said. "We're gonna keep fighting. We got home court advantage right now and we gotta take advantage of that. It's not hard. We know what we gotta do. We got to stick to our game plan and bring more energy."
And historically, a Game 7 has been forced just 22 times since 1951 after a team trailed 3-1.
There’s more recent precedent for Milwaukee to point to at least, as Boston became the first team to host a Game 7 after going down 3-0 to the Miami Heat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
"There series is never over until it's over, right?" Beverley said. "I don't really think we've lost a game. But we've lost a game, if you know what I mean. Overtime game obviously. Maybe the game at home (Game 2), maybe that's the one we probably lost. But these right here, we're in full control and kind of let it slip. One, two plays away. So, with that, you feel a lot of confidence. But at the same time, you have to give them credit. They're playing well. They're shooting the ball well. They're playing together. But, the series is not over yet."
Bobby Portis ejected in first quarter
Portis was tossed about seven minutes into the game when he was assessed back-to-back technical fouls for first shoving Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard and then slapping him in the head. Portis had scored four points in his brief time on the floor.
Five numbers
3 Place all-time in Bucks playoff history for made three-pointers for Brook Lopez after making three against Indiana. The center now has 82 career threes in the postseason, passing Jrue Holiday (80).
11 Different Bucks who scored.
Beasley: "For all of us, we wanted to let the world know that we are a great team without our top dogs. Obviously we need them. Obviously they're a major part of this team. But sometimes things happen, and I think we tried to do the best we could. Coach came in at the end of the game and said we fought hard. Obviously we had a few mistakes, but the series is not over." Still got a long way to go. All we gotta do is win one road game and two home games. That's the way I look at it."
69 Career playoff games with the Bucks for Lopez, moving him past Paul Pressey (68) for fourth-most in franchise history.
501 Career rebounds in the playoffs for Khris Middleton, moving him past Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge for No. 3 all-time in franchise postseason history.
04/26/22 The last time Danilo Gallinari played a playoff game, for Atlanta in a first round series with Miami. He scored six points in 13 minutes on Sunday.
Is Giannis playing tonight?
No. The two-time MVP strained his left soleus (calf) muscle April 9 and, though he has continued to get on the court, he hasn't done any live, full-speed activity. He has been listed as doubtful for the first four games of the series, but has been ruled out early in the afternoon before Games 2-4.
Bucks record without Giannis
1-2 in the 2024 playoffs. Over his career, the Bucks are 4-4 in playoff games he misses.
4-6 in the 2023-24 regular season.
Is Damian Lillard playing tonight?
No. The Bucks point guard sustained knee and Achilles injuries in Game 3, but it's tendinitis — inflammation — in his right Achilles that's keeping him out of Game 4.
Bucks record without Damian Lillard
1-8 in the 2023-24 regular season.
Bucks vs Pacers injury report
Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (left soleus strain)
Damian Lillard, out (right Achilles tendinitis)
Chris Livingston, out (non-COVID illness)
Khris Middleton, probable (right ankle sprain)
Pacers
Bennedict Mathurin, out (right shoulder labral tear)
Bucks probable starters
Guards: Pat Beverley, Malik Beasley
Forwards: Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis
Center: Brook Lopez
Bucks vs Pacers preview
Bucks: Middleton scored a playoff career-high 42 points in the Game 3 overtime loss, but the Bucks lost Lillard to an Achilles aggravation. Middleton is still hobbled by a sprained right ankle, so the Bucks will look to Portis and Lopez to be bigger factors.
Pacers: Indiana initially baited Milwaukee to playing their high-speed game again in taking a 19-point lead, but the Bucks gradually reeled them back in. Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard were keys on the offensive glass and will likely need to be again as the Bucks will play short-handed, but desperate to avoid a 3-1 series hole.
Bucks vs Pacers odds, betting line, spread
Odds courtesy of BetMGMas of Sunday
Spread: Bucks +9.5
Over/under: 216
Moneyline: Pacers -450; Bucks +340
Bucks vs Pacers prediction, game picks
ESPN Stats & Information gives the Pacers a 58.2% chance of winning.
Bucks vs Pacers stats
Bucks (regular season)
PPG: 119.0
PPG allowed: 116.4
FG%: 48.7
3PT%: 37.3
Pacers (regular season)
PPG: 123.3
PPG allowed: 120.2
FG%: 50.7
3PT%: 37.4
Bucks vs Pacers NBA playoffs schedule
Date | Score |
April 21 | Bucks 109, Pacers 94 |
April 23 | Pacers 125, Bucks 108 |
April 26 | Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT) |
April 28 | Bucks at Pacers, 6 p.m. |
April 30 | Pacers at Bucks, TBD |
May 2* | Bucks at Pacers, TBD |
May 4* | Pacers at Bucks, TBD |
* if necessary
What channel is Bucks vs Pacers on today? How to watch, stream live
TV channel: Bally Sports Wisconsin; TNT
Stream: You can stream the game on the Bally Sports Wisconsin and TNT apps.
Announcers: Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks for Bally Sports Wisconsin and Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony, Stephanie Ready for TNT.
Bucks vs Pacers start time, TV info, location
Start time: 6 p.m. CDT.
TV info: Bally Sports Wisconsin and TNT.
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pacers take commanding 3-1 series lead with 126-113 Game 4 win over Bucks
