NBA
Antetokounmpo missing key support
Siakam shines, Haliburton directs, and Milwaukee falters without Lillard as Indiana opens the series with a dominant 117–98 win.
The playoffs opened in Indianapolis on Saturday with what should have been a high-octane clash between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks, fourth versus fifth in the Eastern Conference. But instead of fireworks, the series began with a mismatch – one that underscored just how much Milwaukee is missing Damian Lillard.
This was a game that should have burned bright, but instead barely sizzled. For all the Bucks’ pedigree, their visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse was flat and uninspired, and Doc Rivers’ team now trails 1–0 in a matchup that, if it doesn’t wake up soon, could slide away quickly.
Lillard’s absence leaves Bucks exposed
The lone bright spot for Milwaukee was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who dropped 36 points in yet another valiant solo effort. It wasn’t enough. Lillard, sidelined with a blood clot, remains day-to-day, and his absence loomed large. Ryan Rollins, starting in his place, managed just five points. Kuzma contributed nothing – not even a registered stat – while Taurean Prince went scoreless. The Bucks shot 9-of-37 from deep, and what was lacking on offense was mirrored on defense. Only Jeff Green (15) and Gary Trent Jr. (14) showed flashes off the bench.
Siakam leads confident Pacers performance
The Pacers, meanwhile, looked far more like the 2023 version of themselves – the one that pushed Boston deep into the playoffs – than the inconsistent squad seen this regular season. Indiana took control early, never let go, and proved capable of closing strong when Milwaukee made a late push.
The final score read 117–98, but the Pacers led by as many as 28. Pascal Siakam was the leading scorer with 25 points, followed by Myles Turner’s 19 and Andrew Nembhard’s 17. Tyrese Haliburton, despite an off night shooting, shifted seamlessly into a playmaking role and finished with 12 assists.
Milwaukee never really got going. They opened the game sluggish, lacking urgency, and by the time they found any kind of rhythm, the damage was already done. Antetokounmpo carried the offense from the first minute, with nearly every meaningful possession flowing through him – often ending with him too. He even managed to keep his composure at the free-throw line while the crowd mocked his slow release, but he received precious little help.
While Rick Carlisle had the luxury of cycling through his bench with confidence, Rivers was left clinging to what little spark he could muster from a depleted rotation. Indiana’s 74–47 lead after a left-wing triple from Siakam felt like a finishing blow – one of many – and though Milwaukee tried to shift the tone in the second half, it was clear this game had slipped from their grasp long before.
Some fight from Bucks
Still, the Bucks did mount a semblance of resistance. Brook Lopez stepped up to support Antetokounmpo, Trent Jr. fought for every possession, and Otto Porter – a playoff warrior by reputation – tried to stir something. But they simply lacked cohesion. The 22–7 run Indiana used to close the first half left a psychological dent that Milwaukee couldn’t overcome.
In the fourth quarter, Milwaukee cut the lead to twelve with five minutes left, helped by back-to-back threes from Green and another from Trent. For a brief stretch, Indiana froze – just three points in three minutes, only five in five – and the Bucks sensed a chance. But that was as close as they would come. Myles Turner’s sidestep triple over Antetokounmpo with two minutes remaining was the dagger – a cold finish that iced the game and confirmed Indiana’s superiority on the night.
Game 1 is done. The Pacers are ahead. The Bucks, bruised and without their floor general, will hope to have Lillard back before things slip beyond recovery. Because Indiana looks ready to run – and Milwaukee is still trying to wake up.
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23
Aaron Nesmith
|
|
43
Pascal Siakam
|
|
33
Myles Turner
|
|
0
Tyrese Haliburton
|
|
2
Andrew Nembhard
|
|
13
Tony Bradley
|
|
3
Thomas Bryant
|
|
10
RayJ Dennis
|
|
8
Enrique Freeman
|
|
12
Johnny Furphy
|
|
29
Quenton Jackson
|
|
16
James Johnson
|
|
0
Bennedict Mathurin
|
|
9
T.J. McConnell
|
|
26
Ben Sheppard
|
|
1
Obi Toppin
|
|
5
Jarace Walker
|
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23
Aaron Nesmith
|
27 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 1/3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
43
Pascal Siakam
|
32 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/2 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
33
Myles Turner
|
31 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1/2 | 3/6 | 4/6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Tyrese Haliburton
|
34 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/6 | 3/6 | 0/7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
2
Andrew Nembhard
|
28 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 7/10 | 1/3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
13
Tony Bradley
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
3
Thomas Bryant
|
12 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
10
RayJ Dennis
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
Enrique Freeman
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
12
Johnny Furphy
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
29
Quenton Jackson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
16
James Johnson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
0
Bennedict Mathurin
|
25 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8/8 | 1/1 | 1/6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
9
T.J. McConnell
|
15 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 5/7 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
26
Ben Sheppard
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
1
Obi Toppin
|
14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
5
Jarace Walker
|
17 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
34
Giannis Antetokounmpo
|
|
18
Kyle Kuzma
|
|
11
Brook Lopez
|
|
12
Taurean Prince
|
|
13
Ryan Rollins
|
|
15
Jamaree Bouyea
|
|
24
Pat Connaughton
|
|
20
AJ Green
|
|
44
Andre Jackson Jr.
|
|
7
Chris Livingston
|
|
35
Pete Nance
|
|
3
Kevin Porter Jr.
|
|
9
Bobby Portis
|
|
0
Jericho Sims
|
|
5
Gary Trent Jr.
|
|
17
Stanley Umude
|
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
34
Giannis Antetokounmpo
|
38 | 36 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8/15 | 14/21 | 0/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
18
Kyle Kuzma
|
21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/3 | 0/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
11
Brook Lopez
|
20 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 | 3/4 | 0/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
12
Taurean Prince
|
19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
13
Ryan Rollins
|
18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/4 | 1/4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
15
Jamaree Bouyea
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
24
Pat Connaughton
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
20
AJ Green
|
26 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 5/11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
44
Andre Jackson Jr.
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
7
Chris Livingston
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
35
Pete Nance
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
3
Kevin Porter Jr.
|
29 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8/8 | 2/5 | 0/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
9
Bobby Portis
|
25 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 0/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
0
Jericho Sims
|
9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
5
Gary Trent Jr.
|
26 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 4/4 | 2/7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
17
Stanley Umude
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |