Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 on Saturday to open their first-round playoff series with authority.
Indiana jumped out early in front of a fired-up home crowd and never looked back, securing a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.
The three-time All-Star hit 10 of his 15 field goal attempts, including 3-of-5 from deep, controlling the pace while Indiana’s offense operated at full throttle.
Tyrese Haliburton contributed 10 points and 12 assists despite shooting 3-of-13, as the Pacers had six players in double figures and shot 51.9% from the field.
Myles Turner tallied 19 points and four blocks, including a dagger three late in the fourth quarter after Milwaukee trimmed a 28-point deficit to 12.
Indiana’s defense limited Milwaukee to just one made field goal over the final 5:24, ending any chance of a comeback.
Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 36 points and 12 rebounds but had only one assist as Indiana constantly trapped and rotated defenders on him.
Milwaukee played without Damian Lillard, who remains out due to conditioning concerns after recovering from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
The Bucks shot just 9-of-37 from beyond the arc, well below their league-best 38.7% regular-season mark, including a 2-of-16 clip in the first half.
Gary Trent Jr. and AJ Green scored 14 and 15 points off the bench, respectively, but no Bucks starter other than Antetokounmpo reached double figures.
Bennedict Mathurin chipped in with 13 points off the bench while T.J. McConnell added 11 points and five assists in just over 15 minutes of action.
Indiana also held a 43-41 rebounding edge and dished out 28 assists to Milwaukee’s 15.
The Bucks committed 10 turnovers, including five by Antetokounmpo, and struggled to match Indiana’s tempo and shot-making throughout the night.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday in Indianapolis, with Milwaukee facing increased urgency as Lillard’s status remains uncertain.
