Pacers ‘expect hard’ as they prepare for Game 2 against the Bucks

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers aren’t letting Saturday’s blowout win against the Milwaukee Bucks distract them from the task at hand.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s message to the team at Monday’s practice?

“Expect hard,” Carlisle said. “Hard things are hard. The first game is hard. We got to expect hard. We’ve got to embrace hard. When you win Game 1 in the series, particularly as the home team, Game 2 is just always exponentially tougher. There’s a renewed level of force that they bring.

“There’s all kinds of possibilities with lineup things, all that kind of stuff. So we got to be ready for anything. Not be surprised by anything.”

In the first game of last year’s matchup, a record-setting 35-point first half from Damian Lillard helped the Bucks to a 109-94 win in Milwaukee as an injured two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo watched from the bench. In Game 2, though, Indiana rebounded despite Lillard scoring 26 by halftime and finishing with 34. The Pacers, behind a 37-point performance from Pascal Siakam, evened the series at 1-1 with a 125-108 win. Siakam was 16 of 23 from the floor and finished with 11 rebounds and six assists.

With the memory of last season and not wanting to be on the losing end of a Game 2 bounce back, Indiana has put Game 1 in the rearview. Carlisle’s message has been heard loud and clear by his players.

“Game 1 last year we got smacked pretty bad, and then we responded well in Game 2,” Tyrese Haliburton said after practice on Monday. “We expect them to throw a big punch in Game 2. We’ve got to be prepared for it, understanding winning Game 1 is doing nothing but doing your job. They always say, playoffs don’t start till you win a road game. So we understand that they’ll throw a big punch in Game 2, and we got to be ready to go.”

In the first half of Game 1 on Saturday, Haliburton was held to six points with seven assists and four rebounds. But he finished with a double-double, adding three more points and five more assists in the second half.

As they prepare for Tuesday night’s game, the Pacers continue to plan for Antetokounmpo’s physicality.

“You just take it for what it is,” center Myles Turner said. “Sometimes you gotta lose a battle to win the war. He’s gonna score a point. It’s a matter of just taking those hits, slowing him down. He just goes downhill with reckless abandonment at times. And he knows how to use his body really well. So it’s a matter of counteracting. It’s just a big chess match with him at the end of the day.”

While Indiana wasn’t able to contain Antetokounmpo, who scored 36 points, the rest of the Bucks’ offense stalled in Saturday’s game as 3-pointers were especially hard to come by. Milwaukee shot a dismal 24.3 percent (9-for-37) beyond the arc.

“I think the odds of them shooting that poorly from 3 probably aren’t that high as the series goes on. But what I’ve learned in the last two years playing in the playoffs is it’s about the wear-down effect,” Haliburton said. “I think we’ve done a great job of showing our pressure up on the floor, sending two to Giannis, just doing many different things. That wear-down effect over the course of seven games is the most important thing. So just trying to keep flying around making extra efforts.

“I feel like the basketball gods reward you the harder you play.”

In addition to preparing for that “big punch,” the Pacers are also preparing for Lillard’s eventual return. Though some uncertainty remains around the timing, Lillard’s presence would impact Milwaukee’s spacing and provide them the offense they were missing in Game 1 of the series. Should Lillard return, Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard says he’s up to the challenge.

“I always embrace those matches. I love competing against those good players,” Nembhard said. “It’s not going to be as easy as it seemed to be last game. They’re a team that’s gotten to the finals, they’ve got some players that played in the championship team, so they know what to bring. You’ve just got to be ready to bring those counterpunches.”

In Game 1, the Pacers’ 2022 second-round pick rose to the occasion for the second straight year in the postseason. One of six players in double figures, Nembhard scored 17 points with four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

With so much attention from the Bucks defense being on Haliburton and Siakam, Nembhard looks for opportunities to be aggressive and get the ball in his hands.

“Every time they swing it to me, I want to be a threat to score the ball and if they stop that I can make those passes, but I always want to be aggressive on the court. So it opens up for other guys,” Nembhard said.

The Pacers are a team without an individual star but one that requires a strong effort from everyone. They understand their depth is key to defeating the Bucks for the second postseason in a row.

“I think understanding that in the playoffs, it ain’t about individual performances, it’s just about winning,” Haliburton said. “So we know every game is going to call on somebody different. Some games are going to call on me to have a big game. Pascal, a big game. Miles, Aaron, Andrew, Ben, Jerry, TJ, all the guys in rotation.

“Everybody’s got to be prepared for that. And I think it comes down to our preparation. Everybody’s understanding that we’re all in here early, getting our work in, getting our lifts in. (There are) guys in here extra after practice. That’s all important because everybody’s got to be ready when their name’s called.”

(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)

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