Milwaukee is now on life support
In a game that saw Damian Lillard exit with an apparent achilles injury, the Milwaukee Bucks fell at home to the Indiana Pacers 129-103, going down 3-1 in the series. Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 28 points. Myles Turner’s 23 points led Indiana.
Game Recap
Myles Turner got rolling early in this one, scoring nine of the Pacers’ first 13 points. The Bucks would take a disastrous blow midway through the quarter when Damian Lillard extended for a rebound and then immediately collapsed to the ground. It appeared as if it was a leg/foot injury of some sort of the non-contact variety. He was helped to the locker room. The Pacers built up a double-digit lead with Dame sidelined, but some threes from AJ Green and Kevin Porter Jr. sliced the deficit to six going into the second quarter, 30-24.
Without Dame, things obviously became much tougher for Milwaukee. The Pacers’ balanced scoring held them out in front by double-digits. KPJ was the only Buck who sat in double figures at halftime with 15 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t able to get much rolling in the first half, going just 3/10 from the floor. With the help of three Pacers’ being in double-digits in the first half, Indiana owned a 63-52 lead.
Myles Turner continued to inflict damage on the Bucks throughout the third quarter, becoming the first player in the game to surpass the 20+ point mark. Milwaukee would always scratch and claw their way trying to get back into things, but Indiana always provided an answer on the other end. An Obi Toppin lay-up with 0.2 seconds left made it a 101-84 score going into the fourth.
From that point on, it was just too uphill of a climb for the Bucks to maneuver. Indiana continued to shoot at an outrageous pace, providing a response to any momentum the Bucks were able to generate. Giannis checked out at the 4:45 mark with Milwaukee down 120-98. The Pacers then put the final touches on a 129-103 victory.
Stat That Stood Out
It’s obviously Damian Lillard for this one and the moment he collapsed to the ground. From the second he went out with an apparent Achilles injury, the tone in the building changed. I’ve been covering Bucks games since 2015 and the last time I heard an arena gasp like that was when Jabari Parker re-tore his ACL. The Bucks would put their best efforts forward to reclaim things, but Indiana’s shotmaking was simply too strong after that devastating injury.
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