On April 23, Beijing time, the first round of the NBA playoffs G2 is about to start, and the Milwaukee Bucks will continue to sit at home to face the Indiana Pacers. In the first round of the battle, the Bucks relied on Lillard's excellent play to establish an early lead and eventually win the game. The second leg will be crucial for the Pacers, who will find a way to take advantage of an away win with their brother doubtful.
In the first round, Lillard was on fire, scoring 35 points in the half, and Middleton also scored a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. In contrast, except for Siakam, who scored 36 points and 12 rebounds, the overall performance of the other players was not ideal, especially Haliburton, who was the star of the game, with only 9 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.
During the regular season, the Pacers performed very well, ranking 6th in the East with a 47-35 record and averaging 123.3 points per game, ranking first in the league. However, by the playoffs, the Pacers seem to have lost their magic, especially Haliburton, who desperately needs to regain his regular-season form.
The Bucks finished third in the East with a 49-33 record in the regular season, averaging 119 points per game, fourth in the league. Despite their mediocre performance in the closing stages of the regular season, the Bucks' strength should not be underestimated. Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, but has missed a number of games due to injury, and his form in this game is listed as doubtful.
For the Bucks, it is very likely that Antetokounmpo will not return, so Lillard's play will still be crucial, as he can contribute 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7 assists per game, in addition, players such as Middleton, Portis and Da Lopez will also need consistent output to support Lillard.
Both teams showed their offensive strength and defensive weakness in the regular season, with the Bucks ranking sixth in the league in offensive efficiency and the Pacers second in the league in offensive efficiency. The Pacers are league-leading in interior scoring and bench scoring, which would be a big advantage for them in the game.
In G2, if Antetokounmpo is unavailable or out of shape, the Pacers have a chance to use their regular season offensive tempo to play against the game. And for the Bucks, maintaining defensive intensity and improving offensive efficiency will be the key to their victory.