Shame 1-3!Eastern dark horse took the match point, 5 technical fouls + 1 expulsion in the opening game caused controversy, and the letter was full of frustration!
Text: Lao Kan Kanqiu
Editor|Lao Kan Kanqiu
On April 29, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs ushered in the Eastern focus battle, and the Milwaukee Bucks went to Indiana to challenge the Walkers away. The core of the Bucks has been plagued by injuries one after another, and the current score is 1-2 behind, especially in the G3 game, although Middleton hit two three-pointers, but after double overtime, he was still killed by Haliburton, and Lillard also unexpectedly suffered an Achilles tendon injury, basically missing this round of the series. Therefore, before the game, the well-known American media ESPN gave a winning rate prediction: the Bucks only had a winning rate of 40.2%, and the Pacers were as high as 59.8%.
After the Bucks defeated the Pacers in G1, the opponent has won two games in a row, and the absence of Brother Alphabet has a great impact on this Bucks team. Talking about the team's injury troubles, Bucks head coach Rivers Sr. said in an interview: "This (injury) is an inevitable experience, we will find a way to overcome it, but I will not urge anyone to return to the court in a hurry, it is too dangerous for the players!" Now, the Pacers are starting to return, and the Bucks are almost on the verge of elimination.
In terms of injuries, Mathurin on the Pacers' side is absent, and the starting five are: Turner, Nesmith, Haliburton, Siakam, and Nembhard, while Livingston, Antetokounmpo, and Lillard on the Bucks' side do not play, and the starting lineup is: Middleton, Beverley, Lopez, Portis, and Beasley.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Nembhard scored a three-point shot for the Pacers to take the lead, Portis scored a two-point shot in response, Siakam shook Portis with continuous feints, and went straight to the basket to complete the one-arm explosion dunk, staring directly at Portis with both eyes, and was given a technical foul by the referee, and then Beverley forced Nembhard, scored a tough layup, and also made a too small celebration gesture, and was also given a technical foul by the referee, and both sides played gunpowder. Immediately afterwards, Portis and Nembhard had a fierce clash when defending, Portis directly punched a combo, and then was pulled away by the assistant coach, and after the referee replayed the video, Portis was ejected. The first quarter ended with Connaughton hitting a small toss from the basket and the Pacers tied the Bucks 33-33.
With only seven minutes into the game, there have been five technical fouls and one ejection, and the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger. Coming back in the second quarter, in the face of the team's lack of three big players in a row, Middleton stepped up again, first hit consecutive shots, and then singled out McConnell to play 2+1, and has scored 11 points. Turner also had a big open three-pointer at the top of the arc, and then made two free throws from the foul to make Haliburton score four straight points to give the Pacers a five-point lead. Middleton hit a back-of-the-back jumper to give the Bucks a three-point trail at halftime, 64-67.
In halftime statistics, Haliburton was 5-of-10 with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists, and Middleton also made 5-of-10 from the field with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Clearly, the Bucks have played a tenacious game despite so many difficulties.
After the rematch, the Bucks had another unexpected situation, Middleton fell after breaking through for a layup, and then had no choice but to return to the locker room for examination. Thankfully, though, he was back on track after the inspection was completed. Haliburton hit three straight three-pointers at the top of the arc and the Pacers had built a 10-point lead. Da Lopez went into the net with Turner's three-pointer, Middleton hit a two-pointer, and the Bucks chased down the deficit by five points again. Turner caught the ball at the free throw line in one step, and smashed the ball through Da Luo's tomahawk split, and the top 10 dunks in the playoffs this season couldn't run away, it was too explosive. Topping and McConnell scored back-to-back points, and the Pacers went on a 14-2 run to extend the margin by 17 points.
It is worth mentioning that the Pacers have hit 19 three-pointers in the first three quarters, with a shooting rate of 52.8%, which is simply too accurate. In the fourth quarter, Middleton hit two more points, and Da Lopez also scored three points from a distance, scoring five points in a row, and the Bucks once again chased a six-point difference. Turner hit two three-pointers in a row to stop the bleeding in time, Da Lopez missed consecutive free throws, and Turner scored another three-pointer in the bottom corner, and the difference between the two sides was stretched to 18 points again, and the game was out of suspense. With 2 minutes and 5 seconds left in the game, Bucks coach Doc Rivers Mingjin closed his troops and replaced the full bench lineup. In the end, the Bucks lost to the Pacers 113-126, swallowing another loss, falling behind 3-1 and only one step away from being out, and the bench Antetokounmpo and Lillard looked frustrated.
In terms of statistics, on the Bucks' side, Da Lopez dreamed of returning to the top, shooting 12 of 18, with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist, Middleton cut 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, Beasley 20 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, and Beverley 9 points and 4 assists. On the Pacers' side, Turner became a wonder man, with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 three-pointers, Siakam 13 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, and Haliburton had 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. It is worth mentioning that the Pacers made 22 of 43 three-pointers from the field, shooting 51.2%.