Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Indiana Pacers seized control early and powered to a convincing 117-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday as the NBA playoffs first round got underway. Pascal Siakam scored 25 points to lead six Pacers players to score in double figures as Indiana took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. Milwaukee’s two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 36 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. But the Greek star had woefully little scoring support, the remaining Bucks starters combining for just 14 points.
Myles Turner added 19 points, Andrew Nembhard scored 17, and Tyrese Haliburton scored 10 points and handed out 12 assists for the Pacers, who thrilled a 17,000-strong crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and made the most of their opportunity against a Bucks team missing Damian Lillard — who has been sidelined since he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf in March. ESPN reported the nine-time All-Star could be ready to play in Tuesday’s game two or Friday’s game three.
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In the meantime, the Bucks offense floundered. Antetokounmpo handed out just one assist as his teammates were unable to score. Kyle Kuzma finished with zero points, zero rebounds, and zero assists in just under 22 minutes on the floor. Taurean Prince also went scoreless. The Pacers, who beat the Bucks in the first round last season, led by as many as 28 points. The Bucks used a 9-0 run to pull within 12 points midway through the fourth quarter. But they were unable to get the deficit to single digits and a three-pointer by Turner launched a run that saw the Pacers pull away again.
The contest was the first of four games on the opening day of first-round play. LeBron James, chasing a fifth title in his 22nd NBA season, caps the action as his Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves. James, 40, is in the playoffs for an 18th time, the Lakers’ title bid enhanced by their stunning February trade for Slovenian star Luka Doncic. Timberwolves star Anthony Davis was looking forward to the chance to take on James. “(James will) probably go down as the greatest player to ever play basketball,” Edwards said. “Trying to put him out of the playoffs under my belt is going to be a tough one.”
In other games, NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the LA Clippers, and the New York Knicks host a Detroit Pistons team back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
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