Fresh off the back of dropping a crucial Game 4 in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Gainbridge Fieldhouse to face the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs on Monday night.
Rick Carlisle's side hold a 3-1 lead in the series and are one win away from reaching the second round and sending Milwaukee packing from the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season.
Match preview
© Imago
The Milwaukee Bucks's playoff dreams suffered a crushing blow on Sunday night as they fell to a 129-103 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the playoff first round.
Having blown a 10-point half-time lead in Game 3 two nights earlier, Indiana bounced back in style, shooting an efficient 60% from the field to secure their first wire-to-wire victory of the playoffs.
The Bucks found themselves trailing by just three points in the first quarter (15-12) but Indiana pounced on the hosts losing star guard Damian Lillard to injury as they immediately went on a 10-3 run to stretch their lead into double digits and did not look back.
Floor general Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 28 points to go with 15 rebounds and six assists, finishing as the only starter with 6+ points, while Kevin Porter Jr tallied 23 points, with 15 of those coming from beyond the arc.
With Sunday's result, Doc Rivers's men are now down 3-1 in the series and one defeat away from a playoff first-round exit against the same opposition for the second straight season, having lost 4-2 last year.
While the Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to begin their comeback on Monday, they have lost each of their last eight playoff games on the road, including five consecutive defeats at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
Coming off a cold shooting display in Game 3, where he finished with a season-low six points, Myles Turner was a standout performer for Indiana on Sunday night as he knocked down 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting at the Fiserv Arena.
Turner finished as one of eight Pacers' players with double digits, including Andrew Nembhard (20), T.J. McConnell (15) and Tyrese Haliburton, who dropped a 17-point 15-assist double-double.
The Indiana Pacers will be backing themselves to get the job done on Monday as they return to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they have won all but one of their last eight games, with a 129-115 loss against the Orlando Magic in the final game of the regular season on April 12 being the exception.
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
Team News
© Imago
Indiana Pacers remain without the services of 22-year-old forward Isaiah Jackson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn Achilles back in November.
Canadian guard Bennedict Mathurin missed Game 4 after picking up an abdomen issue and the 22-year-old is considered day-to-day heading into Monday's clash.
As for the Milwaukee Bucks, veteran guard Lillard was forced off injured midway through the first quarter of game 4 on Sunday after sustaining a non-contact injury and is scheduled to have an MRI scan on Monday.
He is joined on the team's injury table by 20-year-old forward Tyler Smith, who is yet to feature in the playoffs after suffering an ankle injury against the Detroit Pistons on April 13.
Antetokounmpo is currently the second-highest scorer in the playoffs with 30.4 points per game, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
Porter, Trent, Lopez, Kuzma, Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks possible starting 5:
Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Turner, Siakam
We say: The Indiana Pacers to win by 5+ points.
The Indiana Pacers put themselves in pole position in the series with Sunday's victory at the Fiserv Forum and will head into Monday's clash with sky-high confidence. Carlisle's men take on a deflated Milwaukee side who have lost their key guard in Lillard and we are backing them to deliver the final blow in front of their home crowd.
Joshua Ojele
