The Milwaukee Bucks are on the ropes against the Indiana Pacers. Down 3-1 in the series, the Bucks will need to win three straight in order to keep their season alive, starting with Tuesday’s contest in Indianapolis. The Bucks have shown many problems in the series and have been outplayed overall, but one key area has been very indicative of Milwaukee’s struggles.
Milwaukee Bucks On the Brink of Elimination vs Indiana Pacers
The Milwaukee Bucks entered the postseason with a great sense of optimism. Facing a familiar foe in the Indiana Pacers, the Bucks were ready to reverse last year’s playoff defeat against Indiana. With superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo healthy and ready to go, and Damian Lillard miraculously accelerating his timeline for return, the full-strength Bucks looked fully capable of redemption.
However, four games into the series, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bucks have been outplayed in almost all facets. Despite stellar play from Antetokounmpo, few others have stepped up in any tangible way outside of one eye-catching performance by Gary Trent Jr. in the lone Bucks win. Lillard has looked off the pace and is now done for the year with an Achilles injury that will likely result in time missed heading into the beginning of next season as well. With new acquisition Kyle Kuzma subject to immense criticism due to multiple poor performances, some Bucks fans are already ready for the season to be over.
Dame injury solidified the tank next season. It’s literally over. He may want to stay, Bucks will look at the books and notice that’s not in their best interest. They’re arguably the worst situation in the league now.
— ْ (@fnsnfndns) April 28, 2025
The list of reasons for Milwaukee’s depressing postseason is long, but one stat stands out as a big reason the team has not found much success in the series.
The Milwaukee Bucks Have Been Dominated in the First Half of Games
Milwaukee used a strong third quarter in which they outscored Indy 39-18 in Game 3, their only win of the series. However, one thing that has been consistent in all four games is poor starts to games.
Milwaukee is -53 in the first halves of the first four games. In fact, the team has won just a single 1st or 2nd quarter in the series so far. The Bucks have been averaging barely over 25 points per quarter in the first half while surrendering almost 32 per quarter in the first half.
In Game 1, the Bucks were blitzed 34-18 in the second quarter. To start Game 3, the Bucks scored 30 points in the first but gave up 40. The second quarter of Game 2 is the lone time Milwaukee has outscored Indiana in a quarter of the opening half.
Playing from behind against a recklessly strong Indiana Pacers offense has not worked out well. With consistent second-half leads, the Pacers have been able to control the tempo of games and give themselves room to concede some late runs and still prevail.
Head coach Doc Rivers will need to find a way to get his team more ready to play from the opening tip for the Bucks to have any chance in the series. Down 3-1, it would take a massive effort to recover. Continuing the trend of poor first halves is not the way to do it.
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