Bucks look to respond after getting whacked in Game 1
After getting beaten handily in Game 1 by the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks try to get a 1-1 split going home. The only player who really showed up in Game 1 was Giannis, who had 36 points and 12 rebounds; only three other Bucks reached double figures (all of whom were off the bench), and the non-Antetokounmpo starters were very underwhelming. On the other hand, Indiana had a field day with six Pacers reaching double figures. Some of this is shooting regression (we hope), and that the Bucks will knock down more shots in Game 2. But make no mistake about it, there are also some schematic things that must be cleaned up as well.
Where We’re At
As I mentioned in the intro, Milwaukee shot poorly in Game 1; they were 35/84 (41.7%) from the floor and 9/37 (24.3%) from three. Simply forcing Indiana to take the ball out of the net would do a lot for their defence. Any time the Bucks missed, especially at the rim, the Pacers were off to the races; they destroyed the Bucks in fast-break points with a 22-5 edge. Milwaukee also turned the ball over 10 times to Indiana’s five. So the optimistic take is that there is low-hanging fruit for the visitors to pick up.
As far as Indiana’s gameplan goes, they had good success getting the Bucks in rotation on Saturday (28 assists on the night). Haliburton and co. were able to manipulate Brook’s drop defence a little too easily, I think. Brook played just over 20 minutes, which could be a theme for this series. Additionally, they are not worried about Kyle Kuzma at all on offence: completely happy for him to be the one who beats them. Kuzma was 0/5 and a team-worst -24 in his 21 minutes on Saturday. Doc might have some decision to make there. Heck, Doc might have a few decisions to make in the starting lineup, as our Morgan Ross outlined in the Game 1 extended recap.
Injury Report
For the Bucks, Damian Lillard (return to competition reconditioning) has been upgraded to questionable. Tyler Smith (left ankle sprain) is out.
For the Pacers, Isaiah Jackson (right Achilles tendon tear) is out.
Player To Watch
Let’s go with Kyle Kuzma. How can they get him some easy looks around the basket? I do think that if Dame plays, Kuz will be able to get on the end of some baseline cuts once Lillard draws two players and hits the roller. If not, can they play him in the dunker spot a little bit? Make him a screener? Because Game 1 was not pretty, to say the least.
How To Watch
NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
Playback Streaming
We are streaming Game 2 live on our Playback and YouTube channels. Read on to find out how you can get NBA League Pass on us!
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