With the 88-113 loss to the Orlando Magic, the Milwaukee Bucks will now play against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Playoffs first round. Things haven’t looked good for the Bucks after the All-Star break. They have had injuries and blew leads in easy games. Now, they must put all that in the rearview mirror and focus on the road to another potential championship.
How Were The Pacers vs Bucks This Regular Season?
The Indiana Pacers have played the Milwaukee Bucks very well in the regular season. It became a heated rivalry, and the Pacers swept their regular season series 4-1.
One of the key moments in the rivalry was the 64-point Giannis game. The Greek Freak set a Bucks franchise record in that 140-126 win. However, the Pacers rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA bucket in that game and both teams wanted the game ball for their own reasons. NBA games have an official game ball and a reserve ball, just in case, but a misunderstanding between the two teams caused a rift near the Pacers’ locker room after the game.
Giannis told the media that he believed he didn’t get the actual game ball. The confrontation resulted in Giannis, his brother Thanasis, Cam Payne, and Jae Crowder running into the tunnel and confronting the Pacers about the game ball.
Mocking Dame Time
Star Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton mimicked Damian Lillard’s “Dame Time” celebration after the Pacers the Bucks 128-199 in the In-Season Tournament Semifinals. Tyrese told ESPN that it was their time. Damian Lillard didn’t have a problem with the celebration but reminded Haliburton to remain humble.
Can The Milwaukee Bucks Get Past The Pacers?
Giannis sat out the last few games of the regular season to heal from a strained left calf during Tuesday’s game against the Boston Celtics. The Bucks will need Giannis against the Indiana Pacers. In the five games against Indiana, the Greek Freak averaged 42.2 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
However, Damian Lillard averages 20.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists off 32.4% from the field. Lillard also averages a terrible 26.5% from beyond the arc.
Tyrese Haliburton averages 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Bucks in their five games. Haliburton shot an amazing 53.2% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc in those five games. Milwaukee needs to figure out how to disrupt Tyrese’s playmaking skills, as he only had seven total turnovers in the five games.
We’ll see if Pascal Siakam plays a factor in this series, as he joined Indiana after the five games happened. It can be a significantly different team for the Bucks to handle. Pascal isn’t really known for stellar defense, but the Bucks also don’t know how healthy Giannis will be for the series.