The Milwaukee Bucks have their backs up against the wall in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They were already shorthanded entering the postseason with their star Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined because of a calf injury.
Things only got worse on the injury front in their Game 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Khris Middleton suffered an ankle injury and his status for Game 3 on Friday night is currently up in the air.
Heading on the road and picking up a win in the NBA Playoffs is hard enough. Having to do it potentially without two of your top three players will prove to be extremely difficult. Especially since the Pacers are now oozing with confidence.
After a putrid performance in Game 1, Indiana bounced back in a major way in Game 2, picking up a 125-108 victory. The young Pacers found their groove after looking overwhelmed in Game 1 by everything.
Pascal Siakam has been leading the way for Indiana, becoming the first player since Walt Chamberlain to score 35+ points with 10+ rebounds in the first two games of the NBA Playoffs. The entire team’s demeanor was different in Game 2 compared to Game 1 given how drastically different the outcome was.
That was something that Bucks big many Bobby Portis commented on after the game. He called the Pacers frontrunners for how they acted while being ahead compared to how they carried themselves when trailing in the game.
“I mean, just quite frankly, they’re frontrunners, bro. Y’all can just tweet that or whatever it is, bro. When the sh** going good, they laughing, clapping all that. When it’s going bad, they not saying nothing,” Portis said, via Dunk Central on X.
That is certainly a bold statement from Portis. After games, emotions are running high and that was likely the case here, as the Bucks are disappointed to be heading to Indiana with their series tied 1-1.
But, as he said, that is just how basketball goes sometimes. When you are playing well and hitting shots you are feeling good. That is what the Pacers were doing in Game 2 as they ran their division rivals off their homecourt.
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