The Indiana Pacers are in prime position to put away the Milwaukee Bucks in their first-round NBA playoff series. Indiana wins Game 4 129-103, giving it a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
Indiana’s balanced offense returns, with 8 players in double figures. Myles Turner leads with 23 points, Tyrese Haliburton has 17 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds, and Andrew Nembhard scores 20. T.J. McConnell scores 15 and Obi Toppin 13 each off the bench. The Pacers shoot 60.2% from the field, 46.2% on 3-pointers.
Milwaukee’s starting lineup again gives Giannis Antetokounmpo little assistance. He has 28 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists; the rest of the starters have 15 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Kevin Porter Jr. scores 15 of his 23 points in the first half, and Bobby Portis adds 14.
Game 5 is Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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5:55 left 4Q, Pacers 115, Bucks 98: Kevin Porter Jr. has 8 points in the quarter, and his jumper off a steal prompts an Indiana timeout.
9:49 left 4Q, Pacers 110, Bucks 88: Pacers can’t miss. They’re up to 60% from the field. Timeout, Milwaukee after Obi Toppin’s mid-range basket while falling to the court.
End 3Q, Pacers 101, Bucks 84: Giannis Antetokounmpo (18 points in the quarter) is either passing or shooting on every Bucks possession, usually leading to a basket, but the Pacers are hot in the quarter (57.6% for the game, 46.7% on 3s). They have 7 players in double figures.
Aaron Nesmith strained his back on this blocked shot, but he is available to return.
4:06 left 3Q, Pacers 84, Bucks 73: Milwaukee hits a couple of 3-pointers after the Pacers lead by 17, prompting an Indiana timeout. Giannis Antetokounmpo is up to 18 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton has 14 points and 10 assists.
7:12 left 3Q, Pacers 76, Bucks 65: Milwaukee surged early in the third quarter of Game 3. On three occasions in this quarter, Kyle Kuzma drives to the basket, is denied at the rim and falls to the court. The Pacers scored fast-break baskets off of each play.
Myles Turner scores the first basket of the second half on a fast-break dunk over Giannis Antetokounmpo, putting Indiana up 13.
Myles Turner has 14 points and Aaron Nesmith 11 for Indiana, which is shooting 53.5% from the field. Tyrese Haliburton has 10 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
Kevin Porter Jr. is Milwaukee’s surprise big contributor with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, including 3-of-4 3-pointers. Giannis Antetkounmpo has 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
4:17 left 2Q, Pacers 55, Bucks 43: Both teams are hot from 3-point range: Indiana is 7-of-16, Milwaukee 8-of-17. Myles Turner has 12 points, Aaron Nesmith 11 for Indiana. The Bucks’ Kevin Porter Jr. has 11 points on 3-of-3 from deep. Players chatter going into the timeout, and each team is assessed one technical foul.
7:08 left 2Q, Pacers 42, Bucks 35: Indiana’s T.J. McConnell has 7 points and 3 assists. Milwaukee’s A.J. Green is 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.
Pacers 30, Bucks 24: The Bucks hit 3 3-pointers late in the quarter, 2 by A.J. Green, after Indiana leads by 12.
3:13 left 1Q, Pacers 23, Bucks 15: Aaron Nesmith joins the party and is up to 7 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez have 6 each for the Bucks, who lost Damian Lillard to an apparent leg injury midway through the quarter.
7:30 left 1Q, Pacers 13, Bucks 7: The Pacers get Myles Turner involved early. He scores 9 in the first 4 1/2 minutes. He struggled mightily in Game 3, scoring 6 on 1-of-9 shooting.
“If the Pacers continue to play the way they did in Friday’s second half, they won’t only lose Game 4, but the series. However, the Pacers have a tendency to respond well to miscues and defeat. They had longer losing streaks this season than last year, but they were 40-17 after Dec. 8. They lost consecutive games just three times since — a Dec. 26-27 against the Thunder and Celtics, February games against the Lakers and Knicks and three games on the road in early March when Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined. Presumably, they’ll adjust to the Bucks’ more spirited defense and find a way to get Haliburton going downhill. They will also keep a closer eye on Gary Trent Jr. Indiana will recover and take Game 4 and return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a chance to close out the series.”
Covers.com: Pacers to cover spread, maybe win
“Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lack of support will give the Pacers an edge in Game 4. Damian Lillard, who was one half of the NBA’s top scoring duo during the regular season, has averaged 10.5 points on 24% shooting since returning from injury. Milwaukee doesn’t appear to have a legitimate second option right now while he’s in a slump. Indiana could very easily snag Game 4 outright, but I’ll take the points.”
“The home team has won every game in this series and the favorite has covered eight of the last 10 games between the Bucks and Pacers. The Bucks coming back and winning the way they did game 3 should have a carry over effect in game 4. Lillard should be better as he now has two games under his belt. The Pacers could have big blow depending on the status of Mathurin. I had the Bucks winning this series before it started and I’m not off the bandwagon. The line is reasonable. Give me the Bucks and the small chalk.”
Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin (abdomen) is out; Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) is out.
Bucks: Tyler Smith (ankle) is questionable.
(All times ET; *-if necessary)
Game 1, April 19: Pacers 117, Bucks 98
Game 2, April 22: Pacers 123, Bucks 115
Game 3, April 25: Bucks 117, Pacers 101
Game 4, Sun., April 27: at Bucks, 9:30 p.m.
Game 5, Tues., April 29: at Pacers, 6 p.m.
*-Game 6, Fri., May 2: at Bucks, TBA
*-Game 7, Sun., May 4: Pacers, TBA
TV: FanDuel Sports Network, with Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analysis) and Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporting); TNT, Max.
93.5 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis, with Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analysis) and Pat Boylan (sideline reporting). Game 1 streaming is on SiriusXM channels 86 (Bucks feed), 213.
Are the Pacers favored over the Bucks today, April 27? Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks betting odds
via BetMGM
Game 4 favorite: Bucks by 4.5 points
Over/under: 226.5 total points
Moneyline: Pacers +155, Bucks -190
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Bucks a 55.3% chance of winning.
Game 4 Pacers tickets start at $34 on StubHub.
Look for Pacers tickets on StubHub
(with series averages)
- Pascal Siakam (25.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 60% shooting, 57.1% 3-pointers)
- Tyrese Haliburton (15.0 points, 11.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 26.9% 3-pointers)
- Myles Turner (13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots, 33.3% 3-pointers)
- Aaron Nesmith (13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 56.3% 3-pointers)
- Andrew Nembhard (13.3 points, 5.3 assists, 44.4% 3-pointers)
