The Pacers struggled to keep up with the Bucks for the full 48 minutes and now take a bloated injury list to Minnesota to complete current road trip.
The Pacers had flashes of great play against the Bucks, playing on a back-to-back in Milwaukee, but all of that flash came from the starting unit and was not enough in what ended up being a 126-119 loss to the Bucks.
In a quasi-playoff simulation, the game on Saturday played out much differently than the Pacers win in Indy on Tuesday. The Pacers bench has been struggling over the past few weeks, but on Tuesday a strong effort lead by Bennedict Mathurin and TJ McConnell kept the Pacers playing from in front for most of the game as they had a positive net rating while outscoring the Bucks’ bench.
In the loss on Saturday, the bench had nothing for the Bucks, outscored 35-18. Mathurin and McConnell both played over 20 minutes on Tuesday, but Mathurin played 12 minutes and McConnell played 16 minutes, yet both were a -34 while on the court. That’s hard to do, obviously not all their fault, but a shiny indicator of poorly the reserve rotations performed.
Twice the Pacers fell behind by 19 and with starter-heavy lineups, clawed their way back both times, but they couldn’t get over the hump late, getting as close as three via an Andrew Nembhard 3-ball with 12 seconds left. But failing to close out earlier possession with a rebound, limited the late chances and the Bucks held on to close out the win at the free throw line.
The Pacers were a -13 on the glass, a typical bugaboo for the Blue and Gold in losses this year. The foul count between the teams was comparable but not the type of fouls. Milwaukee had a big advantage at the line with the Pacers making 10 of 13 FTs, while the Bucks not only doubled the amounts of FTs, but also made all but one of 26 FTAs.
Oh, and by the way, much credit to the Bucks for their effort to earn the win with their superstar players delivering big time. Giannis had 34 points 10 rebounds and 7 assists before fouling out with just under three minutes remaining. Dame Lillard also played huge with 25 points, 8 assists and 10 rebounds, making 6 threes which take his game to an elite level.
So, as far as losses go, this remained a solid overall effort for the Pacers with the starting unit doing the heavy lifting. Aaron Nesmith was incredible, extending his career high with 30 points and a few big plays late too keep the Pacers’ hopes alive. Myles Turner really struggled shooting the three (2 for 10) but Obi Toppin filled in a few admirable extra minutes with the starters.
Pascal Siakam continues to carry a lot of the load for the Pacers overall, playing 39 minutes on a back-to-back and scoring 26 points. Tyrese Haliburton was up for the fight in enemy territory, as well with 25 points and 15 assists with 0 turnovers. What he’s doing with this assist to turnover ratio is getting comical.
The Pacers are a bit dinged up as the move on to Minnesota to close out the three-game roadie. Siakam will miss his first game since joining the Pacers, with ‘personal reasons’ listed on the injury report which is better than any physical injury. Honestly, after seeing Siakam playing to exhaustion on Saturday, if that reason is simply, ‘I need to rest!’ then that would be reasonable.
Haliburton, Nesmith and Turner are all questionable so we’ll see who is available close to game time. Minny played on Sunday afternoon, but we’ll see if they add any key players to the injury list before the game.
Pacers vs. Timberwolves
**Where:**Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
When: Monday, Mar. 17, 2025, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +7.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner
Timberwolves: Michael Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton (lower back) - questionable, Aaron Nesmith (ankle) - questionable, Myles Turner (hip) - questionable, Johnny Furphy (illness) - questionable, Pascal Siakam (personal reasons) - out, Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) - out
Timberwolves: Leonard Miller (G League) - out
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