At this point in time, the Milwaukee Bucks are down a 0-3 hole against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers. But even though they are on the brink of elimination, head coach Doc Rivers still found a reason to be optimistic for his team.
In that game between the Bucks and Indiana, it was the latter that went home with the 126-113 win. Myles Turner showed up and put up an impressive performance of 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. After being passive for most of the series, Haliburton finally broke out by notching 24 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Andrew Nembhard added 15 points and nine assists as a starter for Indiana.
Without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton stepped up by dropping 25 points and 10 rebounds. Brook Lopez finished the game with 27 points and nine boards, while Malik Beasley contributed 20 points on 66 percent shooting from the field for his team.
Due to the absence of Antetokounmpo and Lillard, the Bucks were forced to play a less talented lineup than the Pacers. Even if that was the case, Milwaukee still played their hearts out in front of a hostile Indiana crowd at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Doc Rivers Shares Silver Lining in Milwaukee Bucks’ Game 4 Loss to Indiana Pacers
After the game, Rivers spoke to the media about their Game 4 loss to the Pacers. In a post Eric Nehm shared on X, the Bucks head coach shared one reason to be optimistic:
After tonight’s game, Doc Rivers told reporters that he really appreciated his team’s effort tonight, despite losing.
Rivers: pic.twitter.com/wwLPMRoBHt
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 29, 2024
Even with that sense of optimism, the odds are still stacked against the Bucks. Without Antetokounmpo or Lillard, there’s little a Khris Middleton-led team can do against a younger and more talented Pacers squad. And even if they get past them, there’s even tougher teams out there waiting for Milwaukee.
At this point in time, there’s no news yet whether the Bucks can play at full strength. In any case, fans better stay tuned to see whether Indiana can finish the job or Milwaukee gets to stay alive for another day.
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