On April 24, Beijing time, the first round of the 2023-24 NBA playoffs G2 battle was in full swing, and the Milwaukee Bucks sat at home to usher in the second fierce battle with the Indiana Pacers. In the first matchup, Antetokounmpo was absent, but Lillard went berserk at halftime, blasting for 35 points. Although they didn't score a point in the second half, the rest of the players stepped up to respond to the Pacers' comeback, and finally won 109-94 to take the lead. In this game, Brother Alphabet continued to be absent, and the Bucks continued the starting lineup from the previous game. The Pacers' side also did not change formation, and the big battle was about to break out!
In the first quarter, the two teams turned on the bombardment mode, and both created a lot of shooting opportunities inside and outside, which is a relatively rare scene in this round of playoffs. The Pacers made 12 3-pointers and hit 4 of them, mainly hitting the basket inside, shooting 8 of 12, with a high shooting rate, and scored 30 points in a single quarter! The Pacers did not score a double-double in the first quarter, but a total of 7 players opened their scoring accounts; Lillard continued to go crazy in the first quarter, 4 of 6, including 3 of 5 3-pointers and scored 15 points, but only 3 of the team scored, this is the game of Li Gui himself against the Pacers! At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers led by 4 points at 30-26;
In this quarter, the Pacers continued to combine inside and outside, hitting five 3-pointers from the outside, shooting more than 6 percent! Sika scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, plus three rebounds and one assist, but Haliburton still failed to show leadership on the scoring end, scoring only six points at halftime, and the Bucks created a lot of shooting opportunities from the outside of the quarter, hitting four 3-pointers. 6 out of 10 on the inside, and the shooting percentage is not low. At halftime, the Pacers led by five points at 60-55, and Lillard scored 26 more points at halftime, but more players needed to step up and continue the firepower;
The two teams continued to score points, and the Pacers had a significant decline in their outside touch, hitting only 2 3-pointers; the outside line was not accurate, and the Pacers began to impact the basket, frequently chiseling into the Bucks' restricted area to create opportunities, with a high shooting rate, only conceding 2 shots, and scoring 32 points in a single quarter! The Bucks also created a large number of shooting opportunities on the inside and outside, but the feeling was average, and the outside line only hit 2 balls, and the inside line also frequently hit iron; after the third quarter, the Pacers led by 9 points at 92-83;
In the final quarter, Middleton hit 2 free throws and 2 hits, Connaughton made a layup and hit again, directly stopping the Pacers; after the timeout, Smith hit a layup to break the drought, Shepard made a layup to continue the firepower, and Sika also hit a step-back jumper, and the difference returned to double digits again! After that, the two sides alternated points and started a tug-of-war around the 10-point difference! Turner hit a 3-point relay, and the difference came to 13 points, stopping the Bucks; After the timeout, the Pacers continued to exert their strength, and after a wave of 10-0 attacks, the difference came to 20 points, stopping the Bucks again. After the timeout, Haliburton added a 3-pointer to take a 23-point lead! After that, the Bucks were unable to turn the defeat around, swallowing a defeat at home, and the score was tied at 125-108.
Statistics:
In this game, Sika continued his brave performance in the first game, shooting 16 of 22 with 37 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Scored 35+ career records in 2 consecutive playoff games, becoming the second person in team history after Reggie Miller!Turner 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks, Nembhard 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Nesmith 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 block, Haliburton 12 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, Toppin 9 points and 8 boards;
On the Bucks' side, Lillard had 34 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal, Da Luo had 19 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 blocks, Middleton had 15 points and 5 assists, Portis had 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, Beverley had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, and Connaughton had 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.