INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers wanted to start Game 1 fast and furious, and they couldn’t have asked for a better opening game in their opening-round series against Milwaukee. In the 117-98 rout of the Bucks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana had six players in double figures.
From the start, the Bucks were never really in it. Indiana led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and went into the locker room with a comfortable 67-43 lead and the momentum at the half.
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Indiana shot 51 percent from the field and 38 percent (13-for-34) from behind the 3-point line.
“I think every time you step on the floor, you want to take care of your business,” Pascal Siakam said. “I thought our energy was good in the beginning, just sticking with the game plan, doing what we’re supposed to do, playing as a team, communicating. I thought we did that well.”
Siakam, tasked with the difficult job of being the Pacers’ primary defender on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, was a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. The three-time All-Star led all Pacers scorers with 25 points, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3.
“He’s very consistent,” Myles Turner said. “Pascal’s someone who knows his spots on the floor and we know where to get the ball on the floor. So a lot of the time it’s just him being patient and making reads, and I think he’s done a phenomenal job since he’s been here … just dissecting the defense. I give a lot of credit to him tonight. He carried both sides of the ball.”
Turner contributed 19 points, five rebounds and four blocks. Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Myles Turner in the playoffs >>> pic.twitter.com/WJyQqiSSqv
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 19, 2025
In its efforts to crowd and contain Antetokounmpo, Indiana sent him to the free-throw line nine times, but with the home crowd booing and counting for 10 seconds on each of his trips, Antetokounmpo was 8-for-15 from the line. He scored a game-high 36 points with 12 rebounds.
“He’s a tough cover. He’s coming downhill. You got to do the best you can. He’s really good at getting to the paint, getting to the rim. He’s strong, he’s physical. So it’s gonna take a lot,” Siakam said. “I thought we did a decent job, but he got a lot of, you know, easy buckets there, too. We just gotta continue to make it as hard as we can on him. It’s a tough job.”
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Still without Damian Lillard, Antetokounmpo carried the load, but the rest of the Bucks were unable to find their offense, shooting just 34 percent and allowing Indiana to have their way with them.
The Pacers have shown they can win when Tyrese Haliburton plays well, but they can also win when he’s having an off shooting game. Haliburton was 3-for-13 with 10 points, but he still was impactful with seven rebounds and 12 assists.
“I don’t worry about his shooting,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “It took a while for him to get on the board. But every team is going to be trying to make life miserable for him, and he understands it, and he’s developed a really good discipline and patience when teams try to take him out of it early. I thought he balanced things very well, and defensively, his attention to detail was very good in this game.”
Playoff Andrew Nembhard activated
Andrew Nembhard was Indiana’s best guy in the 2024 playoffs, averaging 14.9 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 17 games, and it looks like he is picking up where he left off. Nembhard scored 6 of the Pacers’ first 15 points and finished with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.
“Drew was aggressive from the jump,” Siakam said. “When he’s aggressive and getting downhill, I always tell him he’s one of the best at doing that, and we know what he can do on defense. He’s a special player and we need that from him.”
In addition to scoring, Nembhard would leave his man to help double-team Antetokounmpo and showed no fear against 7-foot-1, 282-pound Brook Lopez.
“I think he set the tone for us, getting downhill, and I think he went right at Brook a couple times,” Turner said. “He’s a very heavy guard. People don’t realize how strong he is until you see the results. I like the way he established defensively, and I like offensively how he didn’t settle.”
The Pacers, who were 29-11 at Gainbridge this season, look to continue home-court domination in Game 2 in Indianapolis at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.
(Photo of Pascal Siakam shooting over Gary Trent Jr.: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)
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