Indiana Pacers use strong second half to take commanding 3-1 series lead over Milwaukee Bucks

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for Game 4 of their first-round series on Sunday night. Entering the day, the series was 2-1 in favor of the Pacers, and they had won two straight outings. WIth both Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo out for the Bucks, it was an opportunity for Indiana to expand their series lead.

They needed to start strong. A dominant first quarter was critical in their Game 3 victory, and without two stars on the visiting side, they needed to do it again. The healthy Pacers couldn’t afford a slow first few minutes.

The Pacers scored first via a three-point shot from Andrew Nembhard, but the Bucks responded with an 8-2 run to take the lead. It wasn’t the opening minutes that the blue and gold hoped for — their offense wasn’t where it needed to be for the opening possessions.

Both teams traded baskets early in the game, and two technical fouls were called in the first five minutes — one on Pacers forward Pascal Siakam and another on Bucks guard Patrick Beverley. The crowd was tense and annoyed after Siakam was whistled for a tech, but that turned to excitement when Beverley was whistled for his. It was 12-11 in Milwaukee’s favor with 7:04 to go in the first quarter.

The game got chippy a few minutes later. Bobby Portis and Nembhard got tangled up under the Bucks basket, and Portis was hit with two hostile acts from the interaction. He shoved and slapped Nembhard, and he was ejected. Nembhard, meanwhile, was given one technical. Indiana was ahead 18-16 after the exchange.

Obi Toppin checked into the game soon after and changed the makeup of the battle. He raced ahead for some easy baskets and had six quick points. The Bucks were matching his scoring, but it was an impressive stretch from Toppin to keep his team in the game.

Milwaukee’s second unit continued to play well and found space to score. Indiana was struggling to slow them down, and they were giving up points in the paint constantly. Three-point shots were falling for Indiana, who were 7/12 from deep after one quarter, but the Bucks had 20 points in the paint. It was tied at 33 at the time.

The second quarter started with more good play from the Pacers, who jumped ahead 40-37 after a few minutes of play. Rookie guard Ben Sheppard was making shots and playing with energy, which Indiana needed. Their paint defense continued to struggle, though.

As the second quarter progressed, both groups began to trade baskets. But the Pacers were slightly better from the floor, and their starting five came in and got in gear. With 7:22 until halftime, Indiana led 49-44.

The Pacers continued to make threes, which was masking a lot of their mistakes. To the team’s credit, they were generating good looks, but their percentage was unusually high. Indiana’s starting five was finding space all over the floor, but they needed to get some stops.

Late in the half, Indiana’s lead climbed as high as six, but the Bucks answered and trimmed it again. Because the visitors were having so much success around the basket, it was difficult for the blue and gold to go on any sort of run.

Khris Middleton, who scored 42 points in Game 3, hit a shot just before the halftime buzzer. That cut the Pacers edge down to 67-64, and that’s what the score was at halftime. Indiana was 12/22 from deep at the time and had conceded 32 points in the paint. That style felt unsustainable, but the blue and gold had a halftime to adjust their approach.

To get the second half going, the Pacers came out firing. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton hit three outside shots in the first few minutes of the half, and it gave the Pacers a 10-point lead for the first time of the night. He was up to 24 points at the time, and it was 76-66 in favor of Indiana. Milwaukee needed a timeout. Haliburton was having an excellent quarter.

That stretch brought some energy into Gainbridge Fieldhouse, some needed life after the slower start to the action. The crowd was loving the double-digit advantage, but the Pacers needed to keep pushing. Their defense hadn’t been good enough all night to relax.

Halfway through the third period, the Pacers were up 81-76. The Bucks were never going to go away if the blue and gold didn’t find a way to string together stops. Brook Lopez reached 20 points for Milwaukee around that time — he was playing extremely well.

Myles Turner responded with two epic plays. He threw down the dunk of the series so far all over Lopez just after the midway point of the quarter, and with the crowd still celebrating the play, he buried a corner three. That put Indiana up by 12 at 88-76. It was their largest edge of the game to that point, and it prompted a Bucks timeout.

Their lead soon reached 17. Indiana was finally playing good defense, and their offense didn’t slow down in that stretch. It was one of their best sequences of the entire series — the Bucks needed to find answers.

After three quarters, the Pacers were ahead 98-85. Haliburton was up to 24 points for the blue and gold while Turner had 18. Indiana won the third quarter 31-21.

The fourth quarter started with a quick 7-0 run from the Bucks, and that cut the Pacers lead down to six. Pacers head coach Rick Carlise took a timeout at the time — his team needed to regroup. They were struggling.

The stoppage did wonders. The blue and gold were far better for the next few minutes and pushed their lead back to double digits. They were impressive in the second half, and that response did wonders for their confidence and energy.

It also got the crowd back into the game,a dn as the fans were chanting Myles Turner’s name, the big man hit a three that made the arena erupt. It put the Pacers up by 14 and forced a Bucks timeout. Turner was having another excellent game.

The Pacers speed had the Bucks on the back foot for much of the fourth frame. Indiana could get into the lane seemingly at will, and the consistent offense meant that Milwaukee couldn’t keep up. The hosts had the right effort and energy level.

With 3:30 to go, the Pacers were ahead 117-103. They were close to securing their third-straight win in the series, but they needed to make a few more plays down the stretch. One or two more stops and score would get it done.

They happened quickly, with the blue and gold getting a bucket and then a defensive stop in quick succession. That ballooned their lead to 16, which felt unsurmountable with just 2.5 minutes to go on the clock.

The final score was 126-113. The blue and gold took care of business at home to keep their control of the series. It was an impressive outing once again.

Haliburton finished with 24 points and four assists. Turner had 29 points and nine rebounds while Nembhard added 15 points and nine assists. The Pacers had several great performances in the victory.

Indiana now leads the series 3-1, and it shifts back to Milwaukee for Game 5 on Tuesday.

• Pascal Siakam entered the playoffs wanting to be the Indiana Pacers leader. He left Milwaukee on top of the league. CLICK HERE.
• Myles Turner has best career playoff game for Indiana Pacers as film time and maturity mesh.CLICK HERE.
• Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers delivered a moment fans waited five years to see. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers survive massive Milwaukee Bucks comeback for overtime win in Game 3. CLICK HERE.
• Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
• Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers