Pacers start strong, take 1-0 lead over Bucks
The Pacers opened the playoffs with a fantastic first half that had the Fieldhouse rocking, leading a win in Game 1.
The Pacers opened the 2025 playoffs rested and ready to attack the Bucks in Game 1, earning a 117-98 win with various contributions throughout the playing rotation adding up to making the Fieldhouse a fun house on Saturday afternoon.
Energy, effort and execution for 48 minutes is always a winning formula for the Pacers and they hit about the 40 minute mark to win this matchup against the Bucks. The Pacers won the first and second quarters, to take a 67-43 lead to the break. Offense? Defense? It was all working for the Pacers.
The Pacers pushed the lead to 26 in the third quarter, but about a four-minute stretch in the third quarter allowed the Bucks win the third quarter, then another four-ish minute stretch in the fourth quarter made things sexy as the Bucks made some threes and cut the lead to 12 points. But the Pacers responded both times the Bucks cut into the deficit and put the W away in fine fashion. The Pacers fourth quarter 12-point lead held up for over 5 minutes as the Bucks went five minutes without scoring while the Pacers pushed the lead back over 20 points in the final two minutes.
The win continued to frustrate the Bucks who are sick and tired of the Pacers which lead to a late-game jawing session as the teams went to a timeout. Damian Lillard, in street clothes, entered the fray and earned a tech for yelling at Tyrese Haliburton, while Pascal Siakam took the tech for the Pacers for returning fire. Lillard may be in the lineup on Tuesday for Game 2 which will certainly add some more spice to the series as both teams will be making major adjustments.
10-man Rotation Roll Call
The Pacers did not stick with an eight-man rotation, as expected for much of the game, instead playing 10 players more than 10 minutes (Johnny Furphy had a victory cigar minute late) with Bennedict Mathurin playing 25 minutes off the bench. No doubt each game will be played differently based on the context of the game.
In this one, the combination of early foul trouble for Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin combined with the big, first half lead made using 10 players the way to go and will always be an option with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the other side. With the 10 man rotation, that Pacers have 36 fouls to burn on the big fella, if needed. The Pacers were able to spread their fouls out quite nicely so there were no late-game issues and Giannis did his part by making just 8 of 15 free throws, while still scoring 36 points with 12 rebounds.
As for the Pacers who played, all 10 had moments that positively impacted the win. Add the coaching staff to that positive impact, as well considering how prepared the Pacers were to handle different situations that arose during the game, adjusting matchups and keeping the good times rolling. The Pacers outrebounded the Bucks, only giving up 8 offensive rebounds and also won the turnover battle with just 8. Despite the Bucks not crashing the offensive glass, the Pacers outscored MIL, 22-5 in transition points. The game plan and in-game adjustments were a big advantage over what we saw from Milwaukee.
But the players executed said game plan and this game deserves a roll call for all 10 of the Pacers who put in work against the Bucks.
Myles Turner earned post-game podium honors for his effort to start and close the game with big shots. After Andrew Nembhard swiped the opening tap, the Pacers first possession ended with Turner popping for an open three which he splashed to put the Fieldhouse in frenzy mode. More importantly, Turner broke the seal on a fourth-quarter scoring drought by both teams that had the Pacers leading by 12 points for three minutes until Turner created a step back 3-ball that, again, lit up the Fieldhouse faithful and ended up being the dagger for a Game 1 win. Turner finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Just a very mature game from Turner, who played through contact without getting many calls, but remained focused on the job at hand. His signature play, aside from the dagger, was a dunk through traffic on a nice feed from Nembhard. Myles was essentially punched in the face as he dunked on two Bucks…but no call.
Andrew Nembhard didn’t earn a podium nod but he deserves plenty of praise for setting the tone for the Pacers and jump-starting the offense. After Turner’s opening three, the Pacers bumbled through a few possessions. Nembhard turned aggressive, taking the ball to the hoop for a one handed dunk that surprised all of the Bucks and sparked a run that pushed the Pacers up 15-8 early, forcing Doc Rivers to call a timeout with the Fieldhouse rocking. Nembhard continued going to the rim, pushing the ball in transition and twice finishing through Brook Lopez after a signature bump. Nembhard scored 8 of his 17 points in the first quarter while adding 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
Pascal Siakam was the other podium player for the Pacers thanks to an efficient offensive effort while also playing a role in dealing with Giannis on defense. The Bucks had Giannis in plenty of switches which didn’t go great early for Myles Turner, but the Pacers ended up spreading those defensive duties among several players. That helped Siakam do his thing on the offensive end where he scored 25 points on 15 shots with 7 rebounds. Siakam was also 3 for 5 from 3-land and all of those threes seemed to give the Pacers a positive jolt when needed.
Tyrese Haliburton lead the Pacers in minutes played with 34, which is a great start overall for the team. Haliburton struggled to get his shot to fall, with several in-and-out misses, even in the midrange. Haliburton shot 3-13 overall and 0-7 from 3-land but was able to impact the game elsewhere with 12 assist, 7 rebounds and just one early turnover.
Aaron Nesmith came out strong, following the lead of Andrew Nembhard with all 7 of his points early in the first quarter. A rough second foul in the first quarter sent Nesmith to the bench for much of the first half. But that early boost help set the tone for the Pacers along with Nembhard.
Bennedict Mathurin played his first playoff minutes for the Pacers and he was ready for the head. Like Haliburton, Mathurin didn’t have a great shooting night, making just 2 of 7 shots and 1 of 6 from behind the arc. But that one three behind the arc helped fuel the second quarter run the Pacers threw at the Bucks. Mathurin was able to get in the lane and get to the line where he made all 8 of his FTAs for the game. Mathurin was also solid on defense matching up with the dangerous guards off the Bucks bench. The fact he played 25 minutes reveals his impact off the bench.
TJ McConnell struggled in the second half, and had some rough defensive matchups at different times during the game, but he was on point in the first half as the Pacers expanded their lead in the second quarter. TJMacs had his pogo stick, midrange jumper going and finished with 11 points and 5 assists and just one turnover.
Jarace Walker was pressed into action after a couple of quick fouls on Obi Toppin in the first quarter. Walker went on to play over 17 minutes, made his only 3-ball shot and grabbed 5 rebounds while also taking several turns trying to guard Giannis.
Obi Toppin may have struggled the most of any reserve player, mostly because of those early fouls and, well, Giannis. Toppin did make his only 3PA and was able to get loose on a turnover for a dunk on a challenging pass from Mathurin that Benn made look easy.
Thomas Bryant played 12 minutes and again, it appeared the Pacers would prefer to play small with their reserve lineup but with the early fouls and big lead, Bryant was thrown in the fray. He was great early, quickly earning (and making) the Pacers first two free throws of the game for the Pacers, in the second quarter natch,
So the Pacers have two days to prep for Game 2 which will tip at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the Fieldhouse. Considering the Bucks made just 2 of 16 threes in the first half and only 9 threes for the game, things will be different the second time around. The Pacers should expect to see Damian Lillard and be ready for more problems from the Bucks bench. Also, considering Kyle Kuzma literally didn’t record a stat other than his two fouls, he will likely do something (literally anything) to have a better game.
But, the Pacers have plenty to clean up, as well. Despite all of the positive play from so many different players, none had a perfect game. As frustrated as the Bucks were leaving the court before the final buzzer, the Pacers will be frustrated but some of their lapses when they review the film. Maintaining their home court advantage and taking a 2-0 lead to Milwaukee is all that matters now. Once, again, 48 minutes with solid energy, effort and execution will make it happen.