INDIANAPOLIS — Pascal Siakam kept it simple Saturday. He got to his spots, hit his shots and made the plays.
The three-time All-Star finished with 25 points and seven rebounds while Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 for a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round series.
“It’s just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played — not a lot of thinking, just play the game,” Siakam said after going 10 of 15 from the field. “I think as long as we play the right way and we get the shots we’re supposed to get and we want to get, that’s what’s important.”
Siakam took full advantage of the festive atmosphere as Indiana hosted its first series opener since 2014.
Team officials handed out gold T-shirts that lit up Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans repeatedly counted the seconds it took for two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to shoot free throws and heckled Bucks forward Bobby Portis. And they roared with delight when WNBA star Caitlin Clark and others appeared on the video board.
But what they wanted — and needed most — was a fast start.
“The series is one-seventh over, and Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, referring to Tuesday’s game. “Everybody on our team has got to be armed and dangerous. Striking the right balance is everything for our team.”
The Pacers certainly were balanced.
Myles Turner capped a 19-point, four-block performance with a late 3-pointer to seal the win after Milwaukee had cut a 28-point deficit to 107-95. Six Indiana players finished in double figures and Milwaukee made just one basket over the final 5:24.
It was eerily reminiscent of last year’s first-round series, which Indiana won 4-2.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 12 rebounds after missing all six games last year because of a calf injury. This time, the Bucks played without their other All-Star, Damian Lillard, who continues to work his way into game shape after battling deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He may return in Game 2.
The difference was defense.
Indiana negated Antetokounmpo’s impact over the final three quarters with traps, double teams and against defenders of all sizes. The result: Antetokounmpo had only one assist and nobody else scored more than 15 points. Plus, the Bucks, who shot a league-best 38.7% on 3-pointers, were limited to just 2 of 16 in the first half and finished 9 of 37.
But Antetokounmpo also took issue with Milwaukee’s defense.
“I think we were late, like we got into scrambling mode and they would create for the next guy and that’s what they want you to do,” he said. “We didn’t have enough urgency. Going into Game 2, hopefully we can change that.”
