Indiana Pacers crush Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 to secure first-round series victory

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday for Game 6 of their first-round series. Entering the action, the series was 3-2 in favor of the Pacers, who had a chance to close out the best-of-seven set on Tuesday in Milwaukee but were crushed.

They had another chance to advance to the second round, and this time it was on their home floor, where they hadn't lost yet in the series. Before the game, it was revealed that Damian Lillard was back in the lineup for the Bucks, so the game was going to be more difficult for the blue and gold.

The Bucks were the better team for the first few minutes, taking an 8-3 lead early. They were hitting mid-range shots often and were stopping Indiana from scoring. They looked experienced and poised to kick off the action — Indiana needed to respond.

They were much better during the next few trips down the court and cut the Milwaukee advantage to 13-12 after a 9-3 run. They settled in and were right back in the game, but they had to keep up the effort. The Bucks are relentless.

After seven minutes of play, the game was tied at 16. Obi Toppin had recently checked in for the hosts and was playing well. His energy and speed were difficult for the Bucks to match, and it helped the Pacers catch up.

Their offense continued to look effective, and Indiana was ahead 23-19 with 3:09 to go in the first quarter. Indiana's slow start was a thing of the past, but they couldn't afford to slow down. Wobbly play has defined their series so far.

The Pacers bench was effective after entering the game. Along with Toppin, T.J. McConnell was playing well and getting into the paint, and they were a part of the group that helped the blue and gold take a 10-point lead late in the quarter. After an awful start, Indiana was controlling the action.

They held that edge for the rest of the period and were ahead 33-24 after 12 minutes. It was a good start for the blue and gold, but they were up 10 early in Game 5 and were trailing by halftime. They needed to maintain their focus. Haliburton led the way with 10 points.

Quarter number two began with two buckets from the Bucks, including a three-point shot from Lillard, and the lead was already down to four. The Pacers were seeing a repeat of their last game in which their first quarter advantage disappeared quickly. They needed to regroup.

Indiana did respond and maintained their edge for the next few minutes, though, and they got enough stops to keep their lead at eight with 8:20 to go until halftime. The blue and gold stabilized at a key time and forced a Milwaukee timeout.

Out of the stoppage, the Pacers lead grew to a game-high 11. They picked up the energy level on both ends and were making it tough for Milwaukee to go on a run. It was an impressive first half to that point, but there was still work to do for the hosts.

Milwaukee's defense was better coming out of the timeout, and they forced the Pacers into a few bad shots in a row. But Indiana did well on the defensive end during that stretch, and they maintained a double-digit lead late in the first half. It was 52-42 with 2:36 left until the break.

Indiana expanded that scoring margin for the final minutes of the half, including a few highlight plays and timely buckets. Their advantage was 59-47 at halftime, with Haliburton's 15 points leading the way. Aaron Nesmith was up to 12 points.

To get the second half going, the Bucks scored nine quick points. The Pacers had a few answers, but not many as their lead dropped down to seven. They needed to recover and get some momentum back — they also had to sit Myles Turner on the bench with his fourth foul at the time.

Indiana responded. Pascal Siakam scored a quick five points to expand the lead back to 12, and that led to a Bucks timeout. During the stoppage, Toppin and Bobby Portis exchanged words and approached each other, but Pacers forward James Johnson got between them to prevent the situation from escalating. Johnson and Portis both received technical fouls.

The Pacers lead stayed near 12 for the next few minutes as Nesmith, Toppin, and Siakam continued to make plays. Indiana was playing well on both ends, and the game was shaping into their style and speed. There was a lot of time left, but the Pacers were doing exactly what they needed to.

Milwaukee went on a short run late in the third period, but Indiana answered with an 8-0 burst to end the frame. McConnell capped it off with a three, and the Pacers led 93-78 going into the final quarter. They were 12 minutes away from winning the series, but they needed to keep up their good play.

To get the fourth period going, McConnell hit another three that expanded Indiana's lead to 18. It was their largest advantage of the night, and the crowd was loud. But Portis answered with a three to cut the edge back to 15. It was going to be a battle down the stretch.

McConnell continued to make huge plays for his team. Between his passing and scoring, he was changing the game and making it hard for the Bucks to make a run. Indiana was still up by 15 points with 9:30 left in the game.

Over the next 90 seconds or so, the Pacers ballooned their lead to 20. Ben Sheppard hit a three that expanded the advantage to 20 at 104-84 with 8:06 to go, and the Bucks called a timeout. It was do or die for the visitors.

The two teams traded buckets coming out of the stoppage, and the Pacers were still up by 19 when half of the fourth quarter had passed. They were playing well with a mixed reserve group and pressuring Milwaukee on both ends.

With 2:32 left in the game, both teams brought in several substitutes. The Bucks waved the white flag. It was 114-94 at the time with 2:30 to go — Indiana just had to run out the clock and they were going to win.

The final score was 120-98 in favor of Indiana. They won the series 4-2 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Haliburton finished with 17 points and 10 assists. Toppin had 21 points while McConnell added 20 with nine assists. The Pacers bench was terrific all night.

Indiana will play either the Philadelphia 76ers or New York Knicks in the second round, which will begin next Monday.