On April 24, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, and the Indiana Pacers went to challenge the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. In the series G1, the Pacers dug a big hole of 30 points early, and Sika blasted 36 points + 13 rebounds but it was still difficult to save the defeat. In the series G2, Brother Alphabet continued to miss due to injury, and the Bucks opened the game with a wave of three-pointers, and Sika and Turner stepped up to lead the team to fight back and help the team overtake the score. The two sides then fell into a head-to-head battle, with the score alternating leads. It wasn't until the end of the third quarter that the Pacers began to gain the upper hand and went into the final quarter with a 10-point lead. In the final quarter, the Bucks were unable to chase points, and the Pacers expanded the point difference to 20+ in one fell swoop, and the game lost suspense. In the end, the Pacers defeated the Bucks 125-108 to make the series 1-1.
The grudge matchup between the Pacers and the Bucks continues from the regular season to the playoffs, and the old and new hatreds are counted together. Facing the Bucks, who lacked the Alphabet brother, the Pacers seized on the Bucks' interior weakness and punched hard, and the interior competition had the upper hand in an all-round way. At the end of the game, the Pacers beat the Bucks 45-40 in rebounds and 52-36 on the inside. The Pacers have created panic on the Bucks' interior and better space for their outside shooters, playing to the level of the league's No. 1 offensive team. Throughout the game, the Pacers shot 55.6% from the field and hit 16 three-pointers with a 44.4% shooting rate!
Lillard took the lead, scoring 34 points + 4 rebounds + 5 assists + 6 three-pointers, and Da Lopez also continued to shoot outside the three-point line, contributing 22 points + 6 three-pointers. It's just that in the final quarter that decided the outcome of the game, Lillard was once again lost in the bag and didn't score a single point; Middleton, Crowder and others couldn't match the Pacers' ferocious offensive firepower at all, and could only watch the point difference be widened! On the Pacers' side, the three armies were in charge, and there was revenge on the spot, and the starting five Tigers all scored double-doubles, and the whole team of seven people scored three points, which can be said to be blooming everywhere! Among them, Haliburton contributed 12 points + 12 assists + 3 three-pointers, and Turner scored 22 points + 7 rebounds + 6 assists +3 three-pointers, Nembhard scored 20 points + 4 rebounds + 3 assists + 1 three-pointer, and Nesmith scored 11 points + 5 rebounds + 7 assists + 3 three-pointers. Of course, the Pacers were able to capture the Bucks' home court, and Sika was a great contributor!
After the whole game, Sika played 36 minutes, made 16 of 23 shots (3 of 4 three-pointers), 2 of 3 free throws, and blasted 37 points + 11 rebounds + 6 assists, with a plus/minus of +6 on the court. In the first half of the game, Lillard scored 26 points alone and tried to play the game early like G1, but Sika stepped up and responded, he scored 21 points in the half to help the Pacers bite the score! In the fourth quarter that decided the outcome of the game, Lillard was trapped in fitness and height and did not score a point, but Sika became more and more courageous, scoring 8 points + 3 rebounds + 2 assists to take over the game, almost single-handedly breaking the Bucks' defense. Sika, meanwhile, broke a number of NBA records, including one held by Chamberlain.
According to statistics from the NBA's official website, Sika scored a total of 73 points in the first two games of the playoffs when he joined his new club, ranking second in NBA history, second only to O'Neal (76 points). At the same time, Sika scored 35+ in two consecutive playoff games, becoming the second player in team history, the first being Reggie Miller. In another statistic, Sika scored at least 35 points + 10 rebounds in the first two games of the playoffs, and he became the first player in the NBA to complete this achievement in the past 57 years, the last one was Chamberlain in 1967! I have to say that Sika is too ruthless, worthy of being a tough guy who has won the championship! In the words of Pacers coach Carlisle, Sika is a person with a calm personality who was born for the big stage!
The Pacers came out on top, and this is their first playoff victory since the first round of the 2017-18 G6 season, which is of great significance! For the Pacers, they were able to snatch the playoff home-court advantage from the Bucks and complete their strategic goal, but for the Bucks, they have never found a strategy to protect Lillard without Brother Alphabet, and there is a long way to go! Especially on the defensive end, without Brother Alphabet, the Bucks have too little room for error! According to previous reports, Brother Alphabet's recovery is a little slow, and he can only do some dribbling, shooting, and free throw drills, and he can't jump at full strength! Now that the Bucks have been forced to this role by the Pacers, Lao Li can only hope that Brother Alphabet can stand up and limit Sika, which is likely to accelerate Brother Alphabet's comeback! Fans and friends, what do you think about this? Leave me a comment to discuss.