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The Milwaukee Bucks will play the Indiana Pacers for a second consecutive season in the playoffs, with Game 1 of their first-round playoff series set for noon CT Saturday, April 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Game 2 will also be in Indianapolis before the series shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4, but dates aren't set.
Milwaukee won three of four games against the Pacers this season, including its most recent on March 15. After that game, the Pacers went on to win 14 of their next 17 games to secure the fourth seed and pass the Bucks in the standings.
Last year, the Bucks, then a three seed in the playoffs, lost to the sixth-seeded Pacers in the first round. It was the second straight first-round exit for the Bucks. Indiana went on to the Eastern Conference finals.
Here's a look at the teams' games this season, plus more info about the Bucks and Pacers heading into the playoffs:
Likely starters
Off the bench
Coach: Rick Carlisle (23rd year as head coach, 71-79 playoff record, 1 NBA title)
The Bucks played last year's playoff series without Antetokounmpo, who was injured, and didn't have a limited Lillard in two games, though he scored more than 30 points per game when he was available. Khris Middleton, who scored 24 points per game in that series, is gone, as are starters Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley. It's probably just as well for Beverley, who threw a basketball at fans as the Pacers won the series clincher, leading to a lawsuit filed in February.
But even before that, these two teams weren't the best of friends, most notably clashing over a game ball (in which the Bucks may have overreacted) back in late 2023. Haliburton also notably mimicked the "Dame Time" celebration after helping the Pacers beat the Bucks in the NBA Cup in late 2023.
Missing Giannis in 2024 with a calf injury would impact any Bucks postseason series. But considering how he normally fares against the Pacers, it was devastating.
This year, Giannis has scored 30 or more points in three of the four games against Indiana, with double-doubles in all four. Last year, he recorded a career-best 64-point and 54-point game against Indiana, plus a 37-, 30- and 26-point performance, again with at least a double-double in all five.
In 2022-23, he scored 41 points and 12 rebounds and 38 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists in two games against the Pacers. In the third, he finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes. He had a 50-point game against Indiana and double doubles in all three meetings in 2021-22.
This team isn't going to merely look familiar because of the same jersey as last year's playoff foe. This is almost exactly the same team, with the same five starters and top reserves, only this time Benedict Mathurin is actually healthy and available.
One top reserve last year, Isaiah Jackson, suffered a torn Achilles and was lost for the year, and another reserve, Jalen Smith, signed with the Bulls, but this is otherwise the same team that went to the Eastern Conference finals last year after upsetting the Bucks in the first round.
Leading scorer Pascal Siakam, who joined the Pacers midway through last season after a trade from Toronto, spent a full year with the Pacers this time around, made an all-star team and now gets yet another chance to haunt the Bucks in the postseason. That's becoming his specialty.
After back-to-back all-star appearances, Haliburton wasn't selected this time around and, despite an uptick in minutes, his numbers dropped in scoring (20.1 points last year to 18.6 this year), assists (10.9 last year and 9.2 this year) and rebounds (3.9 to 3.5). But his three-point percentage has gone up (from 36% to 39%), and it stands to reason that some production will fall with Siakam around for a full season this time around.
Haliburton did struggle out of the gate as he entered the first year of his five-year contract worth $245 million, falling into an extensive shooting slump and hitting just single digits in scoring for a quarter of his team's first 16 games.
Siakam helped Indiana overcome the slump. He's enjoyed a career year in three-point percentage (39%), and he's averaging more than 20 points per game for a sixth consecutive year.
Siakam, a midseason trade acquisition last year, was Indiana's leading scorer after the deal, then scored 22.3 points per game in the six-game series last year against the Bucks, after averaging 14 and six as Toronto's third-best player in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals to beat the Bucks, four games to two.
Indiana averaged 123.3 points per game last year, first in the league, and they were first in assists, first in field-goal percentage and first in defensive three-point percentage.
This year, they're down to 117.3 points per game, still strong at seventh in the league, and they're still third in assists, third in field goal percentage and 10th in defensive three-point percentage, but it's perhaps not quite the juggernaut it was last year. They've slowed in pace, coming into last year's postseason as the fastest-paced team in the league and pulling back this year to a middle-of-the-pack team.
But it's worked. The team has its highest win total since 2013-14 and made the playoffs back-to-back seasons after three years off.
Does it always feel like T.J. McConnell is up to something when he's facing the Bucks? You wouldn't be the only one who feels that way. McConnell's scoring average (9.5 points) and assists (6.1) against Milwaukee are his best numbers against any team, with 33 games. He also shoots 54% from three-point range against Milwaukee and 55% from the field overall.
McConnell scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the clinching win over Milwaukee in last year's playoffs, and he did it in 23 minutes.
When starting small forward Aaron Nesmith was out earlier in the year with an ankle sprain for 35 games, it correlated to Indiana's struggles, though the Pacers had won six of seven when he returned Jan. 16. Before that, the Pacers were a below-.500 team. Getting Nesmith back gave the Pacers their top defensive option against top wings.
There's also some offense; since the start of March, he's chipping in with 15.5 points per game, plus 4.3 rebounds while shooting 46.3% from three-point range.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks have had success vs Pacers this season; here's playoff preview
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Game 2 will also be in Indianapolis before the series shifts to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4, but dates aren't set.
Milwaukee won three of four games against the Pacers this season, including its most recent on March 15. After that game, the Pacers went on to win 14 of their next 17 games to secure the fourth seed and pass the Bucks in the standings.
Last year, the Bucks, then a three seed in the playoffs, lost to the sixth-seeded Pacers in the first round. It was the second straight first-round exit for the Bucks. Indiana went on to the Eastern Conference finals.
Here's a look at the teams' games this season, plus more info about the Bucks and Pacers heading into the playoffs:
2024-25 regular-season games between the Bucks and Pacers
- Nov. 22: Milwaukee 129, Indiana 117: Just like last year, the Bucks and Pacers met in the in-season tournament, but this time, the Bucks exacted a measure of revenge after falling in the 2023 semifinals. This meeting came in pool play at Fiserv Forum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple double (37 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). After a rough start to the year, the win was Milwaukee's fifth in six games. Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton finished with just six points for the Pacers.
- Dec. 31: Milwaukee 120, Indiana 112: Played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Bucks outscored the Pacers by 11 in the fourth quarter and rallied to win after trailing at half by 11 points and by 19 in the second half. Antetokounmpo, playing for the first time in 10 days, had 30 points and 12 rebounds, plus five assists, while Damien Lillard was held to just nine points. Gary Trent Jr. hit two big late three-pointers.
- March 11: Indiana 115, Milwaukee 114: Haliburton hit a wild three-pointer just before the buzzer and drew a foul on Antetokounmpo, then made the free throw to give Indiana the thrilling win — never mind that he stepped out of bounds first. The Bucks trailed by 10 with eight minutes to go but rallied to take a lead. Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 17 rebounds, and Brook Lopez added 23 and seven.
- March 15: Milwaukee 126, Indiana 119: Just four days after a frustrating loss, the Bucks took an 18-point lead after three quarters and prevailed back at Fiserv Forum, despite 30 points from Aaron Nesmith. Both Antetokounmpo (34 points, 10 rebounds) and Lillard (25 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) put up big numbers. Taurean Prince hit a clutch shot and delivered a clutch block after Giannis fouled out with less than three minutes left.
The Indiana Pacers' likely starting lineup and reserves
Likely starters
- Pascal Siakam, 20.2 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists
- Tyrese Haliburton, 18.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 9.2 apg
- Myles Turner, 15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.5 apg
- Aaron Nesmith, 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
- Andrew Nembhard, 10.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg
Off the bench
- Benedict Mathurin, 12.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.9 apg
- Obi Toppin, 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
- T.J. McConnell, 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg
- Jerace Walker, 6.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg
- Ben Sheppard, 5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
- Thomas Bryant, 6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 apg
Coach: Rick Carlisle (23rd year as head coach, 71-79 playoff record, 1 NBA title)
These two teams have ... history
The Bucks played last year's playoff series without Antetokounmpo, who was injured, and didn't have a limited Lillard in two games, though he scored more than 30 points per game when he was available. Khris Middleton, who scored 24 points per game in that series, is gone, as are starters Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley. It's probably just as well for Beverley, who threw a basketball at fans as the Pacers won the series clincher, leading to a lawsuit filed in February.
But even before that, these two teams weren't the best of friends, most notably clashing over a game ball (in which the Bucks may have overreacted) back in late 2023. Haliburton also notably mimicked the "Dame Time" celebration after helping the Pacers beat the Bucks in the NBA Cup in late 2023.
Giannis Antetokounmpo absolutely dominates against this team
Missing Giannis in 2024 with a calf injury would impact any Bucks postseason series. But considering how he normally fares against the Pacers, it was devastating.
This year, Giannis has scored 30 or more points in three of the four games against Indiana, with double-doubles in all four. Last year, he recorded a career-best 64-point and 54-point game against Indiana, plus a 37-, 30- and 26-point performance, again with at least a double-double in all five.
In 2022-23, he scored 41 points and 12 rebounds and 38 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists in two games against the Pacers. In the third, he finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes. He had a 50-point game against Indiana and double doubles in all three meetings in 2021-22.
The Pacers ran it back from last year
This team isn't going to merely look familiar because of the same jersey as last year's playoff foe. This is almost exactly the same team, with the same five starters and top reserves, only this time Benedict Mathurin is actually healthy and available.
One top reserve last year, Isaiah Jackson, suffered a torn Achilles and was lost for the year, and another reserve, Jalen Smith, signed with the Bulls, but this is otherwise the same team that went to the Eastern Conference finals last year after upsetting the Bucks in the first round.
Leading scorer Pascal Siakam, who joined the Pacers midway through last season after a trade from Toronto, spent a full year with the Pacers this time around, made an all-star team and now gets yet another chance to haunt the Bucks in the postseason. That's becoming his specialty.
Haliburton's numbers declined, but Siakam was here all year, after all
After back-to-back all-star appearances, Haliburton wasn't selected this time around and, despite an uptick in minutes, his numbers dropped in scoring (20.1 points last year to 18.6 this year), assists (10.9 last year and 9.2 this year) and rebounds (3.9 to 3.5). But his three-point percentage has gone up (from 36% to 39%), and it stands to reason that some production will fall with Siakam around for a full season this time around.
Haliburton did struggle out of the gate as he entered the first year of his five-year contract worth $245 million, falling into an extensive shooting slump and hitting just single digits in scoring for a quarter of his team's first 16 games.
Siakam helped Indiana overcome the slump. He's enjoyed a career year in three-point percentage (39%), and he's averaging more than 20 points per game for a sixth consecutive year.
Siakam, a midseason trade acquisition last year, was Indiana's leading scorer after the deal, then scored 22.3 points per game in the six-game series last year against the Bucks, after averaging 14 and six as Toronto's third-best player in the 2019 Eastern Conference finals to beat the Bucks, four games to two.
This isn't quite the high-flying scoring team it was last year
Indiana averaged 123.3 points per game last year, first in the league, and they were first in assists, first in field-goal percentage and first in defensive three-point percentage.
This year, they're down to 117.3 points per game, still strong at seventh in the league, and they're still third in assists, third in field goal percentage and 10th in defensive three-point percentage, but it's perhaps not quite the juggernaut it was last year. They've slowed in pace, coming into last year's postseason as the fastest-paced team in the league and pulling back this year to a middle-of-the-pack team.
But it's worked. The team has its highest win total since 2013-14 and made the playoffs back-to-back seasons after three years off.
T.J. McConnell is still here, and that's going to annoy some Bucks fans
Does it always feel like T.J. McConnell is up to something when he's facing the Bucks? You wouldn't be the only one who feels that way. McConnell's scoring average (9.5 points) and assists (6.1) against Milwaukee are his best numbers against any team, with 33 games. He also shoots 54% from three-point range against Milwaukee and 55% from the field overall.
McConnell scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the clinching win over Milwaukee in last year's playoffs, and he did it in 23 minutes.
Aaron Nesmith's health has boosted the Pacers
When starting small forward Aaron Nesmith was out earlier in the year with an ankle sprain for 35 games, it correlated to Indiana's struggles, though the Pacers had won six of seven when he returned Jan. 16. Before that, the Pacers were a below-.500 team. Getting Nesmith back gave the Pacers their top defensive option against top wings.
There's also some offense; since the start of March, he's chipping in with 15.5 points per game, plus 4.3 rebounds while shooting 46.3% from three-point range.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks have had success vs Pacers this season; here's playoff preview
Continue reading...
