THE BUCKS RUNDOWN
Damian Lillard returned to the Bucks on Tuesday, but it still was not enough for Milwaukee to steal a game from Indiana, as the Pacers stuffed a Dame-led comeback late in the 4th quarter.
Pacers topped the Bucks 123-115 in Indiana, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series. The lead was wobbly for most of the game, but Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard’s timely shots stopped the Bucks from getting close. Lillard had a lot to say about how the team can get it right in Milwaukee, and it all starts with the defense.
Milwaukee’s defense was easy to solve for the Pacers’ offense, as their lead did not falter during the second game of their series. The Pacers had seven players in double figures, everyone was getting a touch as they spread the defense through the game. With one half of the Dame and Giannis duo coming back from injury, the offense was inconsistent for Milwaukee throughout the night, which added to the deficit. Overall, Milwaukee didn’t shoot terribly as they were able to shoot 40% from three, but that point became moot when the opposing team was allowed to shoot 44%.
Lillard wasn’t able to find his groove in his first game back since he was diagnosed with deep-vein thrombosis, but neither was most of the team on the defensive side of the ball. Even with Milwaukee shooting much better this game compared to the first, Indiana still torched the defense of the Bucks. But having your star player have an off night, while allowing high percentage shooting numbers, is not a recipe for success.
Dame ended the game with 14 points, on 4-13 shooting, while only hitting 2 of his 8 threes taken. It was obvious that he was still trying to work his way back into the rhythm that he’s used to, but on the bright side, he was able to play 37 minutes this last game without a hitch in his injury recovery. But the Bucks will need that offensive inconsistency to turn around quickly, as now Milwaukee faces imminent elimination if they are unable to take a game at home.
Damian Lillard had this to say about his team’s defense in Indiana:
“Our um attention to detail has to be better in our coverages and what we’re doing with our communication. Offensively, we’ve got to come out and have a better pace and execute better, and understand what we’re supposed to be doing based on how we’re being defended.”
UPCOMING
Falling down a 0-2 hole is not how the Bucks wanted to start the playoffs, but they’re no strangers to this position. With each game, they close the gap further, but have yet to feel in control of a game yet this series.
The Bucks fell 123-115 on Tuesday and did not look much better with Dame back in the starting lineup. After another slow start to the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. closed the gap with relentless scoring, but in the end, it wasn’t enough as their slow start again set them back too far to get back into it. They had managed to cut it down to just a two-point lead with only 2:33 left in the game. But Pascal Siakham, Andrew Nembhard, and the playmaking of Tyrese Haliburton helped to stamp out the spark as Indiana grabs the 2-0 advantage in the series as it heads back to Milwaukee.
While the Bucks aren’t in a 3-0 deficit, but it still feels like they have their backs to the wall for game three. Dropping the first two games is not an ideal position to be in for Milwaukee, but their 2021 championship run had them in that position twice. This Milwaukee team has the experience to be able to pull back into this series and win it, but it’ll take role players buying into their roles.
Despite great games from Giannis and Portis, Milwaukee’s role players struggled heavily on defense. This course will have to be reversed if they’re looking to make a deep playoff run this year. More than likely, this won’t even be the best team they would have to face if they are to move on.
