Pascal Siakam scored 25 points as Indiana beat Milwaukee 117-98 to take control of their first-round playoff opener.
Six Pacers reached double figures at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on 19 April 2025, while the Bucks struggled to find scoring beyond Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Indiana builds its lead with balance
Siakam made 10 of 15 shots and added seven rebounds. Myles Turner scored 19 points with four blocks, Andrew Nembhard had 17, and Tyrese Haliburton supplied 10 points and 12 assists.
“It’s just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Siakam said. “As long as we play the right way and we get the shots we’re supposed to get, that’s what’s important.”
Indiana shot 51.9 percent from the field and committed only five turnovers. The lead grew to 28 before Milwaukee made a late run.
Pacers crowd Antetokounmpo and stop everyone else
Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds, but Indiana trapped and double-teamed him over the final three quarters. He managed one assist, and no other Bucks player scored more than 15.
Milwaukee, the NBA’s most accurate three-point team during the regular season, made only 9 of 37 attempts. The Bucks were 2 of 16 from long range in the first half.
They played without Damian Lillard, who was rebuilding his fitness after treatment for deep vein thrombosis.
Turner stops Milwaukee’s final push
The Bucks cut the deficit to 107-95 before Turner hit a late three-pointer. Milwaukee scored only one more basket over the final 5:24.
The victory gave Indiana a strong start in its first home playoff opener since 2014, but coach Rick Carlisle warned against reading too much into one result.
“The series is one-seventh over, and Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one,” Carlisle said. “Everybody on our team has got to be armed and dangerous.”
