Pacers 119-128: Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee stopped in NBA Cup semifinals

The NBA Cup Final Four was seen as a good opportunity for the Bucks to show that they are a championship team not only in theory, but also in practice. However, in the early hours of Friday (8/12), the Deer were defeated by the Indiana Pacers (119-128) and lost the chance to challenge the Lakers or Pelicans for the first trophy of the season.

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The Bucks fell to 15-7 (score counts as regular-season record), holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to 37 points, but Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez only had a few outbursts and not duration or consistency in their performances. Malik Beasley and the substitutes did not help, and the result was painful for a Milwaukee team that was invested in this tournament and wanted to win it after winning 5-0 in the group stage and quarterfinals.

The Pacers went 12-8, and they deservedly earned it, thanks to good basketball, determination and more time in their game. They scored as they wanted with the racket, covering up their failure from the perimeter (7/33) and with Tyrese Haliburton (27 points, 7 rebounds, 15 assists)-Myles Turner (26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks) leading the way. They are one step away from winning a historic first league cup.

Giannis Antetokounmpo account

He entered the game impressively, scoring 3/3 2-pointers and 2/3 shots in the first five minutes (19-12), and at the end of the half he was the top scorer in the game with 10 points. He was very effective defensively at the turn of the racket and at the start of the second he made a stunning move to nail Naismith in the face, having previously ‘talked’ Middleton in the eye. Offensively, he was the Pacers’ only threat, and in the first half he had 20 points and was looking for support.

Early in the second half, he allowed Lillard and Middleton to find the rhythm, which they did and the Bucks quickly took the lead and did miracles. He didn’t care about the world counting his seconds on shots, he made them, closing out third place with 31 points (10/15 2-pointer, 11/13 field goal) and keeping fourth place. There he tried to wear down the Pacers and send the Bucks to the bonus early, and in the 44th minute he made a critical block at -1, took a pass to Beasley’s open shot for the pass and missed.

• 37 points
• 13/18 2 points
• 11/13 shots
• 10 follow-ups
• 2 assists
• 2 blocks
• 1 error
• 3 errors
• In 40 minutes

Dodecalypta: 29-27, 63-51, 94-91, 119-128

Dollars (Adrian Griffin): Middleton 20 (4/5 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), Antetokounmpo 37 (13/18 2-pointers, 0/1 3-pointers, 11/13 shots, 10 rebounds, 2 assists). 2 blocks), Lopez 18 (3/10 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks), Beasley 7 (1), Lillard 24 (4/9 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 7 assists), Portis 4 (6 rebounds). , Botham 5 (6 rebounds), Green, Payne 4, Jackson

Indiana Pacers (Rick Carlisle): Hield 8 (0/6 threes, 11 rebounds), Toppin 14 (1/3 threes, 6 rebounds), Turner 26 (2/8 threes, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks), Brown 10, Haliburton 27 (8/10 2-pointers, 3/9 3-pointers, 2/2 steals, 7 rebounds, 15 assists, Mathurin 9 (6 rebounds), Nesmith 6 (1), Niehardt 8, Jackson 11 (6 rebounds), Connell. 9 (1)

Bucks team statistics: 31/63 2-pointers, 12/33 3-pointers, 21/28 shots, 46 rebounds, 19 assists, 12 turnovers, 9 blocks, 3 steals, 17 fouls

Pacers team statistics: 43/69 2-pointers, 7/33 3-pointers, 21/25 steals, 51 rebounds, 30 assists, 10 turnovers, 8 blocks, 8 steals, 21 fouls