“I know we’re going to face them in the playoffs and it’s not going to be pretty.” The visionary Malik Beasley announced the color at the beginning of January, and this Game 4 proved him right, adding a little spice to this start of the rivalry between Pacers and Bucks, but still to the detriment of his Milwaukee team, decimated, and which ended up cracking in the third quarter.
The start of the match was indeed marked by the expulsion of Bobby Portis, guilty of having lost his composure by provoking Andrew Nembhard then by delivering a blow to him which earned him a “double technical” synonymous with expulsion, to the delight of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Enough to launch a trench war which was not as simple as one could imagine for Indiana, facing a Milwaukee team already deprived of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but which fought with its weapons, until the end.
The Pacers indeed had to fight hard to stay in the lead until the break, the fault in particular of a zone defense which lost the premises, and the Bucks who bravely played their luck. Buoyed by their outside skill (12/22 at the break) under the leadership of the Sheppard-Nesmith-Turner trio, Rick Carlisle's men had great difficulty containing Khris Middleton and Danilo Gallinari, until Malik Beasley and Andre Jackson did not contribute to the 3-point building (58-56). Even the 3-pointers from Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton were not enough to calm the enthusiasm of Milwaukee, still in the game at -3 after a magnificent “fadeaway” from Khris Middleton at mid-distance (67-64).
Myles Turner drives the point home
It was during the third quarter that the match was decided, following an alert to the left ankle of Khris Middleton. There were two 3-pointers from Tyrese Haliburton, the second following a counter from Aaron Nesmith on Khris Middleton, then another 3-pointer from Andrew Nembhard to blow up the opposing zone.
The Bucks were not at the end of their troubles since Myles Turner then took great pleasure in posterizing Brook Lopez before driving the point home with a basket in the corner (88-76). Still from a distance, Aaron Nesmith, Pat Beverley and Andrew Nembhard increased the gap to +15 shortly before the start of the last act (98-83). Enough to experience a quiet fourth quarter? Almost.
We don't know if it was Myles Turner's hammer blow or the critical situation that woke up Brook Lopez to fuel a 14-3 and allow Milwaukee to revive (98-92). The hope, however, was short-lived for the Wisconsin franchise, punished in the process by an 8-0 delivered by Myles Turner, author of two 3-point baskets which this time forced Milwaukee to surrender (108- 94).
Defeated 126-115, the Bucks will now return to the Fiserv Forum for Game 5, with the sole ambition of forcing a Game 6 to return to Indianapolis.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The expulsion of Bobby Portis. The expulsion of position 4 necessarily changed the situation for the Bucks, already orphaned by Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Guilty of having lost his nerve (and of having dealt a blow to Andrew Nembhard after holding his arm), Bobby Portis considerably handicapped his team, even if Doc Rivers' protégés sold their skin dearly. We'll never know what would have happened with Bobby Portis on the field. What is certain is that Milwaukee can almost harbor regrets regarding the rest of the match.
– The Haliburton-Turner pair had a great time. Tyrese Haliburton saved his skin and that of the Pacers in Game 3 with a basket in the final moments of overtime to snatch the victory. In this Game 4, we found a more efficient Tyrese Haliburton, with less waste, a much better 3-point success percentage and a better controlled match on his part. Myles Turner, for his part, continued his momentum with a very big match, and in particular a second half where he manhandled the Indiana racket, with his repeated 3-pointers, and of course the action of the match when he posterized Brook Lopez. Unplayable by sequence, the interior will have finished with an improbable 7/9 at 3-points, his career record! Will the tandem manage to drive home the point in Game 5? Answer Tuesday, perhaps with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
– Another alert for Khris Middleton. Already hit in the right ankle in Game 2, the winger was hit again in the ankle, the left this time, falling badly after a lay-up attempt where he found himself on the ground. After limping for a long time, he returned without being too diminished. On the contrary, he remained, with Brook Lopez, a permanent danger for the Pacers. We'll still have to see how his ankle reacts cold. A possible withdrawal from Khris Middleton would obviously be a catastrophe in the current state of things.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
