Milwaukee (AP) – Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis each scored 29 points and the Milwaukee Bucks kept their season alive by defeating the Indiana Pacers 115-92 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Portis had the highest point total of his playoff career and added 10 rebounds to make up for it two nights after being ejected from a Game 4 loss. Middleton had his third straight game with at least 25 points, while also contributing 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Pacers still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis. The Pacers are trying to advance beyond the opening round for the first time since 2014.
Milwaukee, which has never won a series in which it was up 3-1, made sure the Pacers accomplished nothing on Tuesday. The Bucks held Indiana to its lowest point total of the season and won without injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard as the Fiserv Forum crowd chanted “Bucks In Seven.”
Antetokounmpo missed the entire series and hasn’t played since straining his left calf on April 9. Lillard sat out a second straight game after injuring his Achilles tendon in the Bucks’ 121-118 Game 3 loss on Friday.
The Bucks won anyway, thanks to a balanced effort.
Malik Beasley scored 18 points. Pat Beverley had 13 points and 12 assists and sparked a second-quarter run that put the Bucks ahead for good.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 points to lead the Pacers. Myles Turner added 13. Obi Toppin, Aaron Nembhard and Pascal Siakam each had 12.
Two nights after shooting 22 of 43 from 3-point range in Game 3, the Pacers were 7 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first 10 minutes and led 31-21 at the end of the first quarter.
But the Bucks responded with an 18-2 run as Beverley continually irritated the Pacers – much to the delight of the crowd.
Shortly after a Middleton 3-pointer put the Bucks ahead for good, Toppin was called for traveling in front of the Milwaukee bench. As Beverley tried to take the ball away from him, Toppin pushed the Bucks guard and committed a technical foul.
On the Bucks’ ensuing possession, Beverley hit a short jumper as he was fouled by Haliburton. Beverley did a particularly showy rendition of the “Too Small” taunt gesture before sinking his free throw to complete a three-point play that gave Milwaukee a 39-33 lead.
Beverley scored 12 points in the second quarter, helping the Bucks build a 53-48 halftime lead. The Bucks then scored the first nine points of the third quarter to make it 62-48.
Indiana cut the margin to nine midway through the third, but the Bucks outscored the Pacers 20-8 over the next 5 1/2 minutes to put the game away.
