The Indiana Pacers continued their postseason surge Tuesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 123-115 to secure a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
Pascal Siakam recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, and a critical three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to halt a Bucks comeback attempt.
Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 12 assists, guiding Indiana to its fifth playoff win over Milwaukee in the teams’ last six postseason meetings.
The Pacers set the tone early, opening with a 31-16 run in the first quarter and never trailing again.
Despite Damian Lillard’s return from a calf injury, the Bucks couldn’t find sustained momentum.
Lillard, playing his first game since March 18 and returning from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, scored 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting in 37 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 34 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists but struggled with turnovers and was repeatedly targeted on defense.
Bobby Portis Jr. added 28 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, knocking down six three-pointers to keep Milwaukee within striking distance late.
Milwaukee mounted a 13-0 run in the fourth to trim the deficit to 115-103 with just over two minutes left.
Siakam answered with a three-pointer to kickstart Indiana’s closing 8-2 run that sealed the win.
The Pacers finished with a perfect 19-for-19 mark from the free-throw line and shot 44.4% from beyond the arc.
Andrew Nembhard chipped in 17 points while Aaron Nesmith had 16 and Bennedict Mathurin scored 14 off the bench.
Myles Turner added 15 points and helped limit Brook Lopez, who played just 16 minutes, to 8 points.
Indiana’s defense forced 15 Bucks turnovers and capitalized with 30 assists on 44 made field goals.
The game featured multiple heated exchanges, including technical fouls on Siakam, Portis, Mathurin, and Gary Trent Jr.
Antetokounmpo repeatedly faced crowd jeers for extended free-throw routines, as fans counted down his shot attempts.
Game 3 is set for Friday in Milwaukee, where the Bucks will look to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit.
Indiana is two wins away from reaching the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2014.
