With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard unable to take the court in Sunday’s Game 4, the Milwaukee Bucks saw their hopes of advancing in the postseason take another hit.
While the two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has been out for the entire series, Lillard had previously played in the first three games. And even with Lillard on the court, Indiana had seemingly grabbed control of the series after winning both Game 2 and Game 3.
“After that first game, we watched a lot of film and I saw some of the holes in the defense and realized there were open shots we could exploit,” Indiana center Myles Turner said. “A lot of it is read and react, which is pretty much what our whole offense is.”
The high-scoring Pacers produced a dud in Game 1 — scoring 94 points in a 15-point loss. In their three victories, the Pacers have scored at least 121 points and Turner has been a big part of their success.
The big man has scored 29 points in back-to-back games and he drilled seven three-pointers in Sunday’s win. Overall, the Pacers knocked down 22 shots from beyond the arc — setting a franchise record — and shot 51.2-percent. On the other side, Milwaukee went 12-of-33.
The game began on a sour note for the Bucks and it only got worse as the day went on. Already without Antetokounmpo and Lillard, Milwaukee lost Bobby Portis seven minutes into the game after he received two technical fouls during a dustup with Andrew Nembhard. Later in the game, Khris Middleton (25/10/5) tweaked his ankle.
Now in a 3-1 hole heading back to Milwaukee, the Bucks appear to be hanging on by a thread.
