The Pacers have momentum on their side as they return home to host the Bucks in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. Indiana won Game 2 in Milwaukee, running away in the second half to take home-court advantage. They’ll try to keep it going on Friday evening.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined so far with a calf issue and Damian Lillard cooling off in the second half of games, Pascal Siakam has been the most consistent star in this series. Siakam is showing why the Pacers traded for him earlier this season, and the former Raptor is averaging 36.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Siakam’s 73 points were the most of any player in the playoffs through the first two games of each series.
“We’ve got to be the hungry team,” Siakam told reporters after the Game 2 win on Tuesday. “We’ve got to be the team that’s coming in and wanting to show something. That’s the attitude that we’ve got to have against those guys, because they’ve done it before.”
Here’s what to know about Friday’s Game 3:
Pacers vs. Bucks — Game 3 info
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET | Date: Friday, April 26
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
Odds: Pacers -6, O/U: 221.5
Storylines
Bucks: Damian Lillard has put up big numbers in his first two playoff games as a Buck. With Giannis out, Dame has shouldered the offensive burden, posting 35 points in a Game 1 win. All of those points came in the first half. Lillard then scored 34 points in Game 2, and 26 of them came in the first half. The other eight came in the third quarter. That means Lillard, famous for his “Dame Time” clutch shots in the playoffs, has yet to score a fourth-quarter point in this series. That’s destined to change soon, and the Bucks will need it to if they’re going to pull this series out. In addition to Antetokounmpo’s issue, Khris Middleton is also nursing an ankle injury ahead of Game 3.
Pacers: Siakam has stolen the show for Indiana, and the team has settled in after a rough first half of Game 1. The Pacers have out-scored the Bucks by 29 points in the last six quarters of basketball, and they played more at their pace in Game 2. Every starter scored in double figures for the Pacers on Tuesday, and they shot 55.6% from the field.
Prediction
The Pacers have looked like the stronger team for most of this series. Without Giannis returning, and with the Pacers being at home on Friday, expect that to continue as the East’s No. 6 seed takes a 2-1 series lead. Tyrese Haliburton should up his scoring a bit, too, after totaling just 21 points in the first two games: Pick: Pacers -6
