Season's End: Pacers Rally Behind 4th-Quarter Surge, Send Bucks Home in 6 Games

After battling hard in the first half, the Milwaukee Bucks simply couldn't keep up with the Indiana Pacers as they ultimately fell short on the road to end their season in the first round.

May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) holds the ball while being guarded by Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

A fan shouting vulgar remarks on the live broadcast of the Bucks and Indiana Pacers was the epitome of the kind of environment Milwaukee faced in Game 6.

While his remarks ruffled the feathers of no one, it was made clear that the Bucks weren't welcome, and already down Giannis Antetokounmpo, that didn't make things any easier for them. Try is they might have, besting the Pacers was going to be anything but a cake walk.

Milwaukee hung around in the first quarter, making Indiana work for its points and work harder on defense with Damian Lillard back in the game, but it was playing a game of catch-up for almost the entirety of the second half, as it ultimately fell 120-98 in the final game of its season.

The Bucks were led by Lillard, who notched 28 points in his return, while Indiana's own duo of Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell led the charge for Indiana with a combined 41.

Ultimately, it was a late-third quarter run and a lack of bench production from Milwaukee that put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers take a 4-2 series victory.

May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) dribbles the ball. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

From the jump, it appeared that Milwaukee had come prepared to "make it back home" the way that Patrick Beverley alluded to, as it took an early 13-6 lead behind Khris Middleton and Portis Jr.. From there, Indiana began to battle back and eventually took back the lead en route to an eight-point advantage heading to the second quarter.

Not much directional action took place in the second, as both teams entered a slugfest that Indiana ultimately won, adding four points to its lead to take with it to the locker room.

Unfortunately for the Bucks, it didn't get much better from there.

In fact, it got worse.

Most of the third quarter followed the same cadence as the first two, and for a split second, it appeared as if Milwaukee would claw its way back. Pacers center Myles Turner picked up his fourth foul early on, and was forced to sit for a majority of the period, so the Bucks hoped to take advantage.

They made small strides to even the score, but after a half-court turnover led to an Andrew Nembhard And-1, the Pacers officially pulled away to make their series victory all-but official.

Another 3-pointer and a near-make from full court gave Indiana a 15-point lead heading to the final quarter, and within seconds of that one beginning, it had another 3 off of a Lillard turnover to start a futile comeback attempt from Milwaukee that ended by the halfway mark. The Bucks pulled their starters with two minutes remaining and for the "Sea of Gold," that was it. Indiana had won.

The Pacers went on to close out the contest 120-98 to take a 4-2 series victory and move on to the second round, where they'll await the winner of the New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers series.

The Bucks, on the other hand, now head to the offseason without Antetokounmpo having played any postseason minutes and will begin their team evaluation with numerous free agents on the roster.