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Indiana Pacers take the lead in the series with the Bucks
Milwaukee was simply overwhelmed in the first few minutes. The Pacers picked up right where they left off in Game 2 and played with incredibly high pace and great ball movement. After twelve minutes the assists were 14:2 and Toppin had hit all five of his throws. The Bucks were also worried about Lillard because Siakam stepped on the guard’s heel during a drive and the All-Star then felt pain in his knee. Lillard initially disappeared into the dressing room, but returned in the second quarter.
There the guests slowly picked themselves up and nibbled away at the 19-point deficit. Thanks to Middleton, who scored the first three-pointer for the Bucks after 20 minutes, and Lopez, the guests found a little more offense and finally scored better in the zone. Milwaukee now presented a zone defense more often, but the Bucks couldn’t really stop Indiana with it, so they went into the locker room with a score of 67:55.
After the change, the Pacers continued to run the ball, but the throws no longer wanted to fall. Things went better for Milwaukee, as both Bobby Portis and Lillard (previously 2/10 FG) slowly found their rhythm after rather flashy first halves. This was especially true for the guard, who gave the Bucks their first lead of the evening ten minutes before the end. Lillard converted two three-pointers in a row; it was his only hot phase of the game.
Instead, it was Middleton who saved the Bucks twice before Haliburton decided that the game should be over after overtime.
2024-04-27 03:45:00
#NBA #Playoffs #Tyrese #Haliburtons #game #winner #Pacers #celebrate
