In the NBA regular season, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 122-113 on the road, ending a two-game winning streak and making it a four-game winning streak. In this game, Haliburton, the young star of the Pacers, performed well, scoring a quasi-triple-double of 26 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists, and became the hero of the team's victory. And the Bucks' star brother Antetokounmpo, although he also has a big triple-double of 30 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, he can't prevent the team's loss. In this game, I found three magical phenomena, let's take a look.
1. The Pacers' three-point shooting rate is miserable, but they can win.
The Pacers shot just 14 from three-point range in this game3%, and only 5 of 35 shots were hit, including Haliburton 2-of-4 and the others combined for 3-of-31. It stands to reason that such a three-point shot efficiency would be hard to win, but the Pacers did. What does this mean?On the one hand, the Pacers were excellent on the inside, scoring 54 points under the basket, 16 more than the Bucks, and grabbed 49 rebounds, seven more than the Bucks. On the other hand, it shows that the Bucks' defense is very lax, they let the Pacers easily shoot 35 three-pointers, and did not put too much pressure on the opponent, causing the Pacers' shooting to gradually improve, and in the final quarter, they played a 38-25 attack wave to overtake the score.
Second, Lillard's state is sluggish, and Brother Alphabet's triple-double is useless.
The Bucks' other main player, guard Lillard, was in a very sluggish game, hitting only 3 of 16 shots from the field and scoring 16 points, including 1-of-9 three-pointers and 6-of-6 free throws. His scoring efficiency of just 25 percent is his lowest level of the season. Lillard's slump has deprived the Bucks' offense of an important fulcrum, and it has also increased the pressure on Brother Alphabet. He scored a big triple-double of 30 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists in this game, creating the first time in NBA history to score 30+18+11 in a game, and also the 38th triple-double of his career, tying Sabonis for 12th all-time. However, instead of bringing victory to the Bucks, his triple-double made him synonymous with air slashing. This also shows that the Bucks' offense is too dependent on Brother Alphabet, lacks the ability to blossom in multiple points, and is easy to get into trouble once they encounter an opponent with strong defense.
Third, the Pacers' bench played an amazing performance, and the Bucks' bench was overshadowed.
The Pacers' bench played a key role in this game, as they combined for 70 points, which is 44 times, also the Pacers' highest score this season. Among them, Mathurin scored 25 points, the highest of his career, and also had six rebounds and four steals, which was very comprehensive. Smith also had 16 points and five rebounds, and Turner also had 12 points and nine rebounds, and they were both important firepoints for the Pacers. Moreover, the Pacers' bench was solid, with only two turnovers in the game, compared to eight turnovers for the Bucks. Conversely, the Bucks' bench had a terrible run in this game, with only 16 points, none of them scoring in double figures, and eight turnovers that didn't help the team at all. It's also a reflection of the Bucks' lack of bench depth and lack of reliable bench players, making it difficult to find alternatives once starters are out of shape.
In short, in this game, the Pacers showed their tenacity and unity, and they relied on the strength of the interior and the excellence of the bench to complete the comeback against the Bucks in the face of low three-point shooting percentage. The Bucks, on the other hand, exposed their loose defense, single offense, and weak bench, which allowed them to lose to the Pacers three of their four meetings this season. It's also a wake-up call for the Bucks that they need to address these issues as soon as possible before the playoffs get around, otherwise their championship dreams will be difficult to achieve.