- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 443,931
- Reaction score
- 44
The Indiana Pacers, despite losing Game 3 on Friday night, still own a 2-1 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks. Indiana beat them in the first round last season and looks to continie Pascal Siakam's career postseason dominance over the Bucks.
While Game 4 in Milwaukee is not quite a "must-win" game for the Pacers, capturing some momentum before the series heads back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse cannot be overlooked.
With a chance to win the series on their home court, the Pacers must pull out all the stops in Game 4, and it starts and ends with their best player.
This series, on the defensive side of the ball at least, the Pacers have done as good of a job as possible by holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to 35.7 points per game. That's certainly a lot, but they have cut down on his assist numbers (4.7 per game), and, for the most part, limited his supporting cast's role.
Pascal Siakam has been tasked with heading the defense against the Greek Freak, and Andrew Nembahrd has been assigned to Damian Lillard. When guarded by Nembhard, Lillard is shooting only 25 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep, and his scoring has been a non-factor.
However, in Game 2, which the Pacers won, and Game 3, which they lost, the Bucks received a boost in unexpected places. Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr. have had massive games, and the Pacers need to round out their defensive attack.
In this series, Tyrese Haliburton has allowed Antetokounmpo, Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Kyle Kuzma to all shoot at least 50 percent when he guards them. His close-outs have been sloppy, as he himself has admitted, and he has gotten lost on defense.
Haliburton has never been considered a stellar defender, but in order to steal a game at Fiserv Forum, they simply need to him limit the damage from the role players, as Siakam and Nembhard already have their hands full with All-Star level talents.
Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Continue reading...
While Game 4 in Milwaukee is not quite a "must-win" game for the Pacers, capturing some momentum before the series heads back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse cannot be overlooked.
With a chance to win the series on their home court, the Pacers must pull out all the stops in Game 4, and it starts and ends with their best player.
This series, on the defensive side of the ball at least, the Pacers have done as good of a job as possible by holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to 35.7 points per game. That's certainly a lot, but they have cut down on his assist numbers (4.7 per game), and, for the most part, limited his supporting cast's role.
Pascal Siakam has been tasked with heading the defense against the Greek Freak, and Andrew Nembahrd has been assigned to Damian Lillard. When guarded by Nembhard, Lillard is shooting only 25 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep, and his scoring has been a non-factor.
However, in Game 2, which the Pacers won, and Game 3, which they lost, the Bucks received a boost in unexpected places. Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr. have had massive games, and the Pacers need to round out their defensive attack.
In this series, Tyrese Haliburton has allowed Antetokounmpo, Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Kyle Kuzma to all shoot at least 50 percent when he guards them. His close-outs have been sloppy, as he himself has admitted, and he has gotten lost on defense.
Haliburton has never been considered a stellar defender, but in order to steal a game at Fiserv Forum, they simply need to him limit the damage from the role players, as Siakam and Nembhard already have their hands full with All-Star level talents.
Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: Rick Carlisle Details Indiana Pacers' Collapse in Game 3
Related: Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Odds, Injuries, How to Watch Game 4
Related: Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Odds, Injuries, How to Watch Game 4
Continue reading...
