The Indiana Pacers are rolling into Milwaukee with serious momentum.
Behind a blazing start and clutch late-game execution, the Pacers held off a late Bucks rally to win 123-115 in Game 2 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series. Indiana poured in 40 points in the opening quarter — their highest-scoring Playoff quarter in the play-by-play era — setting a tone the Bucks struggled to overcome.
Tyrese Haliburton (21 points, 12 assists) and Pascal Siakam (24 points, 11 rebounds) powered the Pacers’ balanced attack, each posting double-doubles as Indiana led by as many as 16. Milwaukee made a push late, trimming the lead to just two after a Damian Lillard three-pointer with 2:31 remaining. But timely triples from Siakam and Andrew Nembhard sealed the win for Indiana.
Off the bench, Bennedict Mathurin chipped in 10 first-half points to help spark the early surge. Haliburton’s performance marked his second career Playoff game with 20+ points and 10+ assists — joining Mark Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley as the only Pacers to do so multiple times.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a monster stat line with 34 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most Playoff games in franchise history with at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. Bobby Portis added 28 points and a career-high six threes, while Lillard returned from a month-long absence with 14 points and 7 assists.
The series shifts to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Friday (8 PM ET, ESPNU/NBA TV) as the Bucks aim to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole.