Indiana Pacers put up a dominant display to grab a 120-98 win in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Doc Rivers-coached team brought Damian Lillard back into the lineup for the crucial encounter, but his presence was not enough to prevent a loss. He dropped 28 points on the night, but looked in discomfort due to an Achilles injury, he suffered in Game 3.
Indiana put on a great defensive display, allowing Milwaukee to only 25.9% shooting from beyond the arc. They picked Damian Lillard up full-court to tire him out and this plan worked well. Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez added 20 points each, but that was not enough to stop the Indiana Pacers. Obi Toppin and TJ McConnell led the scoring for Indiana as they scored 21 and 20 points respectively. Tyrese Haliburton had a poor shooting night as he shot only 2-10 from three-point range, but his 17 points and 10 assists proved to be helpful.
The Indiana Pacers won the regular season against the Milwaukee Bucks with four wins. They were always expected to be a strong competition for the Bucks as their offense is explosive and they always find ways to expose the opposition’s defensive schemes. Playing without Giannis proved to be another disadvantage as he is a terrific performer in the Playoffs and his impact could have helped the Bucks. The Pacers now have a tough test in the second round as they face the New York Knicks, who have been brilliant all season.
Indiana Pacers could be exposed against the New York Knicks
The Indiana Pacers’ series win against the Milwaukee Bucks has helped them get past the first round for the first time since 2014. This is certainly a great achievement for the team as not many expected them to be this good as early as this season. However, they now have a big task of getting past the New York Knicks in the second round.
From a pure basketball perspective, the Pacers are an offense-heavy team. Their performance against the Bucks showed that they have the ability to play defense, but the Bucks were not truly themselves this season. The real test for the Indiana Pacers will be against the New York Knicks. Having made their way past the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks must be high on confidence.
Their two-way ability is what makes them special. The presence of players like Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein and OG Anunoby, is a great boost for them. Jalen Brunson is certainly the star on the team, but all the other mentioned players are capable of stepping up and contributing in big games.
Brunson has been extremely difficult to contain throughout the playoffs. Philly tried to throw double-teams at him, but the All-Star kept making game winning plays to lead his team from the front. Knicks are a physical team and it looks unlikely that the Pacers will be able to match that due to the players that they have on the roster. Tyrese Haliburton is their star, but he has not had a great postseason. If he is unable to step up against the Knicks, Indiana’s playoff journey could come to an end in the second round.
