This is the small peculiarity of this regular season with the introduction of the “In-Season Tournament”. As they faced each other in the semi-finals, Bucks and Pacers have already crossed swords five times! Each duel was intense, and even if history will remember the historic match at 64 points Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee's only victory, the Bucks players are not ready to forget their four losses against Indiana. Notably the two defeats in a row to start 2024, at home (113-122) then away (142-130), with a Tyrese HaliburtonWisconsin native, dazzling.
The start of a rivalry was even born after the imbroglio which marred the end of the match on December 13, when Giannis Antetokounmpo experienced some difficulty recovering the match ball. And the following two meetings confirmed this emerging tension between the two teams.
Malik Beasley for his part noted the Chinese puzzle that constitutes the collective built by Rick Carlisle, with of course Tyrese Haliburton as leader, but also many other weapons to watch.
“The whole team, from my point of view, is quite original. Even the way Tyrese Haliburton takes his shots, the way he plays, it's not that of the classic point guard. He’s a player of almost two meters who does his thing at the point guard position,” he summarizedbefore mentioning the contribution of two players coming off the bench. “Then there are guys like Buddy Hield and TJ McConnell. McConnell, he can come in and kill the game. Honestly, it’s really crazy the impact he has.”
The promise of a new epic duel
Giannis Antetokounmpo also spoke about this confrontation which has so far leaned towards the Pacers. For the “Greek Freak”, the fact that the Bucks lost these games at the start of the season gives his team a lot of room for improvement in the prospect of a reunion in the spring.
“We’re thinking about it. When you go home, sleep and wake up, you think about it. When you go back to train too, even when you're getting ready to do somersaults in the evening, we think about it. But in the end, it's a good thing because it gives us time to correct things.”, he confided.
Malik Beasley has now come to hope for a new confrontation in the playoffs, as was the case against Memphis after equally intense duels in the regular season, when he played at Minnesota then at the Lakers. Better yet, the shooting guard already sees himself facing the Pacers in the first round!
“We continue to analyze all of this. I know we're going to face them in the playoffs and it's not going to be pretty. It won't be pretty for them.”he added. “It's the kind of confrontation that reminds me of those between Memphis and Minnesota, or between Memphis and the Lakers. We played these guys four times in the season, and we ended up in the playoffs. Given the current ranking, I think we can find them in the playoffs. Whether it's 2nd against 7th or 1st against 8th. We'll see “.
Statements that are sure to motivate the opposing camp!
| Malik Beasley | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 22 | 8 | 45.2 | 32.1 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 62 | 9 | 41.0 | 34.1 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 81 | 23 | 47.4 | 40.2 | 84.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 11.3 |
| 2019-20 * | All Teams | 55 | 22 | 42.5 | 38.8 | 81.8 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 11.2 |
| 2019-20 * | DEN | 41 | 18 | 38.9 | 36.0 | 86.8 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 7.9 |
| 2019-20 * | MIN | 14 | 33 | 47.2 | 42.6 | 75.0 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 20.7 |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 37 | 33 | 44.0 | 39.9 | 85.0 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 19.6 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 79 | 25 | 39.1 | 37.7 | 81.7 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 12.1 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 81 | 26 | 39.5 | 35.7 | 76.9 | 0.4 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 12.7 |
| 2022-23 * | UTH | 55 | 27 | 39.6 | 35.9 | 84.1 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 13.4 |
| 2022-23 * | LAL | 26 | 24 | 39.2 | 35.3 | 61.9 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 11.1 |
| 2023-24 | MIL | 33 | 30 | 48.8 | 46.9 | 66.7 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 11.6 |
| Total | 450 | 22 | 42.6 | 38.5 | 80.4 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 10.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
