THE Milwaukee Bucks had a star in return for his essential match 6 against the Indiana Pacers.
Yet despite Damien Lillard In play, the Pacers’ tough defense and superior depth gave them the edge in a 120–98 victory. Indiana won the series 4-2 and now advances to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
Lillard scored 28 points (shooting 7 of 16), although it was obvious he couldn’t move as quickly and fluidly as usual with that strained right Achilles tendon. The Pacers defended Lillard all over the court, tiring him out and forcing the Bucks to take several seconds before launching into their offense on each possession.
With that and coach Doc Rivers keeping Lillard on a minutes restriction, Milwaukee needed others to take over their scoring responsibilities. Brook Lopez scored 20 and Bobby Portis added 19, while Khris Middleton contributed 14. But Patrick Beverly managed just six points on 3-of-10 shooting while having to shoulder the burden of ball-handling for a Bucks team that’s just burning out.
The last time Indiana made it past the first round of the playoffs was 10 years ago. Paul Georges was the team’s top scorer and Frank Vogel was the coach. This Pacers team reached the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Miami heat in six matches.
The Pacers bench has grown
Depth was already going to be a disadvantage for the Bucks with Antetokounmpo injured and Lillard limited. However, Indiana’s bench unit was the difference in the game, bringing energy, keeping pace and scoring when Milwaukee had no answer.
Obi Toppin scored 21 points with eight rebounds while TJ McConnell added 20, shooting 5 of 6 from the field with seven assists and four steals. In comparison, the Bucks only got six points from their reserves.
Before Game 6, McConnell was averaging 7.4 points in the playoffs. However, he scored 10.6 points per game in the regular season and shot 41 percent on his three-pointers, so a breakthrough like this was certainly possible. (Though he only scored 20 points or more four times.) And it came at a perfect time for the Pacers.
Toppin scored 10.6 points per game heading into Game 6, close to his regular season average of 10.3 points. His 21 points were the fifth-highest total the fourth-year pro has scored all season.
Indiana got 19 points from Pascal Siakam And Tyrese Haliburton scored 17. The Pacers also got solid contributions with Aaron Nesmith’s 15 points and Andrew Nembhard‘s 14. But that evening, it was the Pacers bench that shined.
Lillard was a game decision
With the Bucks’ season on the line, Lillard’s availability was uncertain just before the game. Him and Giannis Antetokounmpo were listed as game time decisions earlier Thursday, but Lillard had the more favorable prognosis.
Milwaukee’s star point guard was listed as questionable for the game due to the Achilles injury he aggravated in Game 3, while Antetokounmpo was doubtful due to the calf strain that sidelined him. the gap since April 9.
The Bucks did not hold pregame shootarounds for Game 6, but head coach Doc Rivers told reporters that both players “I had great workouts“.
It was a dramatic series for the Bucks, matching a dramatic regular season for a team that had legitimate championship hopes after trading for Lillard. We hoped that Antetokounmpo be able to return quickly after missing the final three games of the regular season, Lillard was forced to lead the team without him.
This effort got off to an encouraging start with a blowout victory in Game 1, but things turned into a nightmare when the Pacers won Games 2 and 3, with Lillard aggravating his injury in the latter. Indiana won Game 4 and was well positioned to close the series, but the Bucks responded with a surprisingly dominant win in game five.
It was the first time in NBA history a team had won a playoff game while missing its top two scorers from the regular season. The Bucks are probably happy they don’t have to try to repeat that feat.
