Indiana Pacers Take 3-1 Series Lead with 126-113 Win

1. First Quarter

Throughout the course of the season, Rick Carlisle has stated that his team will have a lot of learning opportunities. Tonight, would be another learning moment with Milwaukee missing its two best players. The game started with an Andrew Nembhard triple followed by a 10-2 run from Milwaukee. During that run, each team had a player receive a technical foul (Pascal Siakam and Patrick Beverley). With 6:01 left in the first, the two teams were knotted up at fourteen aside. A minute after that, three more technical fouls were given out. Nembhard and Bobby Portis got into a scuffle along the baseline that resulted in two technical fouls for Portis, leading to an ejection. Indiana already had the lead but was able to hold onto it essentially the rest of the quarter from one to three points. In the final seconds of the quarter, Pat Connaughton scored a layup to tie the game at 33. For the second consecutive game, Obi Toppin led all scorers with 9 points. Milwaukee’s leading scorer was Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez with 6 points each. The Bucks shot 58% from the field, but Indiana outscored them from three by twelve points.

2. Second Quarter

Despite the being without their top three scorers, the Bucks were hanging around through the first fifteen minutes of the game. The last time Milwaukee led was after a Middleton three-point play that put his team ahead 42-40 with 9:31 left in the half. Indiana then went on a 9-2 burst to take a 49-44 lead after a Myles Turner dunk. Those two points were the first of seven consecutive points scored by the Pacers center. He would put the team up a first half high, eight points with two free throws. Now the Bucks did make it a one possession game on numerous possessions, but they couldn’t come up with a stop to have a chance to tie the game. At halftime, Indiana led 67-64 after another Middleton field goal in the final seconds. Turner led the team in scoring in the quarter with 10 points, but trailed Tyrese Haliburton by two points for the game lead at intermission. Haliburton had 15 points, but only 3 assists. Middleton’s 13 points led Milwaukee in scoring. In the first half, Indiana converted 12/22 of its three-point shots.

3. Third Quarter

In the first half it just felt like it was only a matter of time before Indiana went on a run to lead by a comfortable margin with how shorthanded the Bucks are. The Pacers came out of the locker room and opened the half with a 9-2 run with Haliburton scoring all nine points from distance. Indiana’s lead was 76-66 with 9:50 left in the quarter. It would take time before Milwaukee was able to make it a two-possession game after a Lopez three-pointer with 6:03 left. Rick Carlisle then called a timeout and his team responded with a 14-2 run. A Toppin layup put the Pacers ahead 95-78 with 2:24 left in the quarter. Milwaukee outscored Indiana by four points the rest of the way. Indiana’s lead after thirty-six minutes was 98-85. After another nine points in the third, Haliburton continued to lead all scorers with 24 points followed by Lopez with 20 points.  

4. Fourth Quarter

At the start of the fourth quarter, it started to feel like the Pacers relaxed a little bit by letting the Bucks get back in the game. Another Lopez three would make it a six-point game just eighty-five seconds into the final quarter of play. Indiana called a timeout to regroup. Turner hit back-to-back threes out of the timeout to push the lead back to fourteen points and forced Milwaukee to take a timeout. For the final 7:27, Indiana made sure the shorthanded Bucks did not go on a run. Turner would deliver the knockout punch with 2:12 remaining as he knocked down his seventh three of the contest. That triple resulted in both teams emptying their benches. The largest Indiana led in the contest was nineteen points after free throws from Aaron Nesmith that made it 124-105. The final score was Indiana 126, Milwaukee 113.

5. Top Performers

Myles Turner (29p, 9r, 4a, 7 threes), Tyrese Haliburton (24p, 4a, 4r, 5 threes), Andrew Nembhard (15p, 9a, 3r), Pascal Siakam (13p, 9r, 7a), Aaron Nesmith (13p, 3r, 3 threes), and Obi Toppin (13p). For Milwaukee, Brook Lopez (27p, 9r, 3 threes), Khris Middleton (25p, 10r, 5a), and Malik Beasley (20p). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

• Indiana has won back-to-back playoff games for the first time since 2014
  • Fourth time since 2000
• Indiana is now 7-2 against Milwaukee this season
• Indiana is now ahead 3-1 for the first time since 2014 against Atlanta Hawks
  • Indiana has never lost a series when leading 3-1 (have now led 8 series 3-1)
  • Indiana has gone to a game seven when leading 3-1 only one time (Atlanta in 2014)
• Indiana Pacers are the first team in over 30 seasons to average 30+ assists per game in the playoffs
• Indiana has now won back-to-back home games after splitting the first two road games for the first time in franchise history
  • Indiana has split the first two road games in the playoffs 11 times
• Myles Turner’s 11 three-pointers are the most by a center over any two-game span in NBA playoff history
• Myles Turner joins Paul George, Chuck Person, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Reggie Miller (twice) to make 7+ threes in a game
  • Turner’s 7 threes tie Nikola Jokic as the most threes made in a game by a center
• Myles Turner joins Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Klay Thompson in the last 20 seasons with 7+ threes and 3+ blocks in a game
• Myles Turner’s 29 points and 7 threes are a postseason career high
• Tyrese Haliburton’s 4 assists are a series low and tie the fourth fewest assists in a game this season
• Myles Turner this series – 24.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 bpg | FG – 48.6% | 3pt – 50%
• Andrew Nembhard last 3 games – 17.0 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.0 rpb | FG – 66.7% | 3pt – 53.8%

7. Next Up

After one day off, game five will take place on Tuesday evening at Fiserv Forum Arena in Milwaukee. Pat Boylan will get things started with the Kroger Pregame Show at 30 minutes before tip. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play on 93.5/107.5 The Fan after that. The series schedule:

• Game 1 – Sunday, April 21st, 2024, at Fiserv Forum Arena – MIL 109 – 94
• Game 2 – Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024, at Fiserv Forum Arena – IND 125 –108
• Game 3 – Friday, April 26th, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse – IND 121 – 118
• Game 4 – Sunday, April 29th, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse – IND 126 – 113
• Game 5 – Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, at Fiserv Forum Arena – TBD
• Game 6 (if necessary) – Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse – TBD
• Game 7 (if necessary) – Saturday, May 5th, 2024, at Fiserv Forum Arena – TBD