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For the second consecutive season, the Indiana Pacers are threatening to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks early in the NBA playoffs. However, after winning Game 1 in decisive fashion, Rick Carlisle implored his players not to get too far ahead of themselves.
While the 117-98 win was encouraging, Carlisle knows the process is only one step complete. The veteran head coach said he told his team that each ensuing game would be “monumentally more difficult” than Game 1 was.
“The series is one-seventh over, and Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one, ” Carlisle said, via The Associated Press. “Everybody on our team has got to be armed and dangerous. Striking the right balance is everything for our team.”
Unlike the 2024 series, Giannis Antetokounmpo is fully healthy and leading the Bucks. However, the best version of Milwaukee is yet to come, but could be just around the corner. After missing the last month of action due to a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis, Damian Lillard is cleared to return and expected to do so once the series shifts to Milwaukee in Game 3.
Until then, the Bucks have to find production in other areas besides Antetokounmpo. ‘The Greek Freak' was his usual dominant self in the paint, leading the way with 36 points and 12 rebounds. The rest of the starters combined for just 14 points. Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince both failed to get on the scoreboard in a combined 42 minutes.
Pacers' defense stifles Bucks in Game 1
The Pacers' offense got what it wanted, but the team's defense led the way in the victory. Indiana held Milwaukee to just 41.7 percent from the field and just 24.3 percent from behind the arc. Other than Antetokounmpo, no player on the Bucks could develop a consistent rhythm.
But while the Pacers' defense certainly deserves credit, the Bucks' offense was equally as inefficient. Stagnant off-ball activity and poor shot selection plagued them all game. Kyle Kuzma was particularly horrid, posting a meme-worthy zero points, zero rebounds and zero assists in 22 minutes.
Third-year guard A.J. Green finished second on the team with 15 points off the bench. Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. were the only other two players to reach double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively, both off the bench.
