INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since the 2020 “bubble” season, the Indiana Pacers are headed to the playoffs.
This also marks the first time star Tyrese Haliburton has ever made it to the NBA’s postseason.
The Pacers (47-35) will take on the No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks (49-33) after clinching the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with a high-scoring 157-115 effort against Atlanta on Sunday.
With the win, the Pacers avoided the NBA’s play-in round. Up next, a best-of-seven series against their Central Division rival.
How did the Pacers do against the Bucks this season?
The Pacers and Bucks played five times this season, with Indiana coming out on top in four of those games:
- Nov. 9, Pacers win 126-124 at home
- Dec. 7, Pacers win 128-119 in Las Vegas (In-Season Tournament)
- Dec. 13, Pacers lose 140-126 at Milwaukee
- Jan. 1, Pacers win 122-113 at Milwaukee
- Jan. 3, Pacers win 142-130 at home
Haliburton was the Pacers' leading scorer in all five games against Milwaukee. His highest point total against the Bucks came in their final meeting on Jan. 3, when he scored 31.
Haliburton averaged 27 points, 5.8 rebounds and 11 assists against the Bucks this season. All five of the Pacers-Bucks games came before Indiana acquired Pascal Siakam in a trade with Toronto, meaning Milwaukee hasn't faced an Indiana Pacers team with Siakam in the lineup.
When is Game 1?
The Pacers and Bucks will play Game 1 on Sunday, April 21, with the time and network yet to be announced.
Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary) will be played in Milwaukee, as the Bucks have homecourt advantage.
The Pacers will host games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Have the teams met in the playoffs before?
For two teams from the same division, the Pacers and Bucks don’t have much of a playoff history between them.
The franchises have met just twice in the NBA postseason, both during the Reggie Miller era. In 1999, the Pacers swept the Bucks 3-0 in the first round (the first round was a best-of-five series in those days).
The 1999 series marked the first playoff meeting between the Pacers and Bucks.
The two teams met again in the 2000 Playoffs, with the Pacers edging out Milwaukee 3-2 in that series. The Game 5 win was memorable—Travis Best hit the series-clinching three with under 20 seconds left in the game, while Miller scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. He finished with 41.
The Pacers ended up in the NBA Finals that season, losing to the L.A. Lakers.
What’s the deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The deal is that Giannis Antetokounmpo is very good—and the Pacers can’t stop him. In games against Indiana this season, “The Greek Freak” averaged 42.2 points, 13 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
He set a franchise scoring record with 64 points during the Bucks’ lone win against Indiana this season. The two teams were then involved in an ugly “beef” over the game ball, with the Bucks believing Indiana had taken the ball to commemorate rookie Oscar Tshiebwe’s first career NBA point.
It led to an on-court argument and a confrontation in the tunnel near the Pacers’ locker room. In the end, it sounds like it was all a misunderstanding, as video appeared to show a Bucks staffer had retrieved the ball from an official when the game ended.
What’s Antetokounmpo’s status for Sunday?
Right now, it’s uncertain.
Antetokounmpo exited the Bucks’ 104-91 win against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, April 9, with a calf injury.
An MRI showed he suffered a strain of his left soleus muscle (calf). The team quickly ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season. The Bucks, still with a shot at the number two seed in the Eastern Conference, sputtered in their final two games without their star.
Coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo was receiving treatment from the training staff and working hard to return for the playoffs. He did not give a timeline.
It’s entirely possible Antetokounmpo misses the start of the series; it’s also possible Antetokounmpo will be available to play. We'll simply have to wait and see.
Which players have playoff experience for the Pacers?
The list of current Pacers players who've experienced playoff basketball with the franchise is relatively short: T.J. McConnell, Doug McDermott and Myles Turner.
Turner is the team's most experienced postseason player, having appeared in the postseason five times. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 26 career playoff games.
During the regular season, Turner averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
McConnell appeared with the Pacers as part of the 2020 Playoffs, held at Disney World in the "bubble" necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat that year.
McDermott appeared in two playoff series with Indiana and was part of the last team to play a postseason game at home (Bankers Life Fieldhouse at the time). He also played for the Pacers in their "bubble" series against Miami. In both playoff series McDermott played in for the Pacers, the team ended up getting swept (by Boston in 2019 and Miami in 2020).