Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner step up big as the Pacers power their way to a statement win.
The Pacers are 48 minutes away from securing a berth in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 129-103 at Fiserv Forum on Sunday. The win gave the Pacers a 3-1 series lead, and Indiana has the chance to close things out at home in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Efficiency was the name of the game for the Pacers, and while some players did shine brighter than others, there’s no doubt this was a massive collective effort. Eight Indiana players scored in double-digit points in this victory, with Myles Turner leading the way with 23 and Andrew Nembhard adding 20. Tyrese Haliburton did his thing as well and finished with a 17-point, 15-assist double-double. Aaron Nesmith (14 points), Pascal Siakam (12 points), T.J. McConnell (15 points), Jarace Walker (12 points) and Obi Toppin (13 points) were the other Indiana players who scored in double digits Sunday.
However, when digging deeper, the numbers show that the Pacers had an impressive performance overall. First, let’s note that the Pacers became the second team since 1995 to have eight players with double-digit points in a postseason game, but doing that on the road is even more impressive. They became the second team in league history to accomplish that feat away from home, joining the 1963 Rochester Royals. And to add to that, they were also the first in the league in nine years to record at least 35 assists and shoot over 60% from the floor as a team. The previous team to accomplish this was the San Antonio Spurs in 2016.
This victory in Game 4 backed up what the Pacers have done in the early stages of the playoffs. So far in the first round, the Pacers rank second in the league in offensive rating (120.2), only trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers (134.1). They’re also leading all postseason teams in several efficiency-related metrics on the offensive side of the ball, such as assist-to-turnover ratio (3.00), assist percentage (72%) and assist ratio (22.7).
The Pacers also rank second in turnover percentage, losing the ball in only 10.7% of their possessions, and effective field goal percentage (59.6). Indiana has been outstanding on offense, and that has allowed them to power through in this series against Milwaukee.
All of this underlines the idea that the Pacers rely less on star power and more on depth and playing a selfless brand of basketball. If an opponent limits Tyrese Haliburton’s scoring, he can make an impact with his passing. If an opponent clogs the paint, the Pacers can fill it up from deep. They rank second in 3PM this postseason, after all. This makes the Pacers a uniquely tough team to game-plan against because they are so well-suited to win in any type of game.
Of course, the Bucks will have another chance at a rebuttal in Game 5 on Tuesday in Indiana. Closing a series on the road is always a challenge. But the Pacers are showing that whatever the Bucks throw at them, they can handle it. And if the Pacers advance, they have what it takes to be a challenge for whomever draws them in the next round.
