Indiana Pacers use dominant Pascal Siakam outing to win Game 2 over Milwaukee Bucks, even up series at 1-1

The Pacers and Bucks played Game 2 on Tuesday night

Apr 23, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) puts up a shot against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2). / Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE — The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks continued their first-round playoff series on Tuesday with Game 2. It was a vital game for the Pacers, who dropped Game 1 by 15 points and really struggled in the first half.

They trailed by 30 points in the second quarter of that game, and star guard Tyrese Haliburton never got going. Indiana hoped to be much better to start in Game 2, and they needed to show growth on both ends of the floor.

To get the action started, the Bucks hit two quick threes and were up 6-0. Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard drilled them, and the Pacers couldn't afford to let Lillard get going. He had 35 points in the first half on Sunday night.

Indiana answered with a quick five points, though, and the game was off and running. It had a higher pace early than the first battle, but the same intensity and energy was still there. The Pacers needed to maintain that.

Their offense was effective in the early minutes, but they were struggling on the defensive end. Lillard was rolling and had 10 points after just over four minutes of play, and Brook Lopez was dropping in threes as well. Those two had all of Milwaukee's 19 points when the first timeout was called — it was 19-13 at the time.

Out of the stoppage, the blue and gold looked much better. Khris MIddleton exited the game with an injury for the Bucks, and Lopez stopped hitting threes. The hosts struggled to score for a few minutes while Indiana got their offense in gear. The scoreboard read 24-23 in favor of the Pacers with 2:43 to go in the first quarter.

Indiana kept their foot on the gas with mixed and matched lineups down the stretch of the first period. Lillard reached 15 points, but the blue and gold weren't letting anyone else crush them. They were ahead late in the frame.

After one period, it was 30-26 in favor of the Pacers. Pascal Siakam led the way for the visitors with nine points, but it was a total team effort. They were getting good contributions on both ends from many players.

The second frame opened with unique adjustments from both teams. Indiana went with a frontcourt featuring Obi Toppin and Siakam, a smaller lineup. Milwaukee, meanwhile, opened the quarter with a zone defense. Both teams were looking to change the rhythm of the game.

After a few minutes, the advantage was 35-34 in favor of Indiana, and head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout. He wanted to talk things over as the Bucks were making a short run. Lillard reached 20 points at the time — he was on fire again.

Milwaukee grabbed the lead at 38-35 a few moments later, and the Pacers took another timeout. They needed to get their focus back and make some substitutions — they were having trouble scoring to start the second period.

As some starters came back in, the Pacers recovered. They got a few stops and paired it with some good ball movement, which put them back in the lead for a few possessions. It was a back-and-forth game for much of the second frame.

Another Pacers timeout came with 5:23 to go until halftime, and Milwaukee led 45-42 at the time. Indiana was struggling to get their early game mojo back, but they were doing well to hang around and keep the score close.

They tied the game at 50 with about four minutes left in the half. Both teams had improved in many ways from Game 1, and it led to a competitive battle. Siakam and Lillard were both rolling for their teams.

That continued for the rest of the first half, but the Pacers were slightly better in the final minutes. They led 60-55 after two frames, and Siakam was leading the way with 21 points and seven boards. Lillard had 26 points. It was an entertaining first half.

The third quarter started with great play from the Pacers, who went on a quick 9-3 run to start the period. That ballooned their lead to 11. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith were finishing plays in that stretch, and Indiana's defense was effective. They had their first 10+ point lead of the series.

Milwaukee took a timeout to regroup at that moment. They needed to figure out what was going poorly for them early in the quarter. It was one of their worst stretches of the best-of-seven set so far, and head coach Doc Rivers wanted to talk it over.

The Bucks scored four quick points coming out of the stoppage, and their defensive level improved. It was going to be a chippy battle the rest of the way.

The Pacers lead hovered near nine for the next few minutes. An altercation involving Andrew Nembhard, Patrick Beverley, and Bobby Portis got the crowd back into the game despite the home team playing below their expected level to that point in the second half. It was a physical game.

Portis got going in the ensuing minutes, and he played a big role in a 6-0 run from the Bucks. That cut into the Pacers edge, and the score was 79-76 at the time. Indiana took a timeout to reset and stop the run — they needed to regroup offensively.

The stoppage helped. They went on a 9-4 run coming out of the talking session, and they were back up by eight. The Pacers survived a bad stretch, which was important given how well they started off the second half.

They closed the quarter strong, too, and that took some air out of the Fiserv Forum. It was 92-83 at the time. Siakam was up to 29 points while Lillard had 34.

Milwaukee scored a few quick points to open the fourth quarter and get closer on the scoreboard. It was a crucial sequence — they were losing momentum but found a way to get the energy level back up in the first minutes of the quarter.

But the Pacers once again responded. Ben Sheppard hit a tough reverse layup, Siakam hit a few vital shots, and the blue and gold went up by 12 a few minutes later. It was 100-88, and the Bucks needed another timeout. They were able to go on a few mini runs, but they weren't able to complete any comebacks to that point in the second half.

The Pacers lead reached 15 a few minutes later. They were clicking on both ends and clearly had found some solutions to the problems the Bucks presented in Game 1. They needed to stick with it for the final seven minutes if they were going to even up the series.

They kept pushing in the next stretch and expanded their lead to 20 at 112-92. Indiana was on a 20-4 run at the time and was dominating on both ends of the hardwood. It was as impressive as they've looked in a while.

Indiana was a few good plays away from putting Game 2 away. Some fans were heading to the exits with about five minutes to go and the Bucks trailing by 22. The action was nearly settled — they just needed to close it out.

Despite a bumpy last few minutes, the Pacers were able to hold on for the win. The final score was 125-108. Indiana tied the series at 1-1.

Siakam finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Haliburton had 11 points and 12 assists. Lillard finished with 34 points.

Game 3 is in Indianapolis on Friday.

---

• 'Embarrassing': Indiana Pacers have dreadful opening to playoffs in Game 1 loss to Milwaukee Bucks . CLICK HERE.
• Pascal Siakam is the key to the Indiana Pacers playoff success both on and off the court. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark meets Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, gets praise from Rick Carlisle. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers crushed in first half in Game 1 loss to Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE.
• Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
• Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers