Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam combined for 27 points in a run-away first half, Tyrese Haliburton directed a high-efficiency offense with a game-high 12 assists and the Indiana Pacers opened their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with a 117-98 thumping of the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday afternoon.
Siakam finished with a team-high 25 points, Myles Turner added 19 and Nembhard had 17, helping the fourth-seeded Pacers gain the early edge in the best-of-seven against a team that had beaten them three of four in the regular season, including once on Indiana’s floor.
Giannis Antetokounmpo powered his way to a game-high 36 points for the fifth-seeded Bucks, who played without star guard Damian Lillard, out with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The Bucks expect Lillard back either for Tuesday’s Game 2 rematch in Indianapolis or Game 3 Friday when the scene shifts to Milwaukee.
The series opener was never in doubt after an early 12-2 burst gave the Pacers a 15-8 lead. Nembhard had six points and Siakam and Aaron Nesmith a 3-pointer apiece in the early run.
The Bucks, who won their last eight games of the regular season, hung within 53-41 after two Antetokounmpo converted a three-point play with 3:45 left in the half. But Bennedict Mathurin buried a 3-pointer to trigger a 14-2, half-closing run that broke the game open at 67-43 entering the break.
Siakam shot 10-for-15 and Nembhard 8-for-13 for the Pacers, who earned the home-court advantage in the series by virtue of winning 50 games in the regular season, two more than the Bucks.
Haliburton had 10 points and a team-high-tying seven rebounds to go with his 12 assists, while Mathurin totaled 13 points and T.J. McConnell 11. Indiana’s largest lead was 28 points.
The Pacers outshot the Bucks 51.9 percent to 41.7 percent.
Antetokounmpo’s 36 points were his 11th-most in a playoff game. He also found time for a game-high 12 rebounds, giving him his 53rd career postseason double-double.
No other Bucks starter scored in double figures. AJ Green chipped in with 15 points off the bench, Gary Trent Jr. 14 and Kevin Porter Jr. 12. Porter also accumulated a team-high five assists.
