Milwaukee knew what it had to do after Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo were sidelined. It would need to generate enough defensive vigor to contain one of the NBA’s best offenses in addition to scoring enough points to stay up with them.

Luckily, that is what transpired for every Bucks supporter in the arena.

Preview, start time, TV schedule, and injury report for the Bucks vs. Pacers game at Brew Hoop

April 30, 2024: Khris Middleton (22) of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball over Andrew Nembhard (23) of the Indiana Pacers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

With 29 points from Khris Middleton, Milwaukee managed to win at home and force a Game 6 away from home, losing 3-2. Tyrese Haliburton carried the bulk of the work for the Pacers, although 16 points isn’t exactly a high standard. The series was sent back to Indiana as Milwaukee won 115-92 thanks to a strong defense.

The Pacers quickly gained momentum, taking a four-point lead in the opening minutes of play after Brook Lopez gave the Bucks a head start with a driving dunk on the opening possession. After that, there was some back-and-forth, and Milwaukee entered the second quarter behind by eight points.

About midway through the second quarter, Middleton started to find the back of the net, which allowed the Bucks to narrow the deficit and reclaim the lead. The Pacers rallied, but Patrick Beverley showed that their attempts to overtake the lead were in vain when he scored a whirling basket on Haliburton to keep the Bucks up by five points at the half.

Rampartinspections: The Indiana Pacers’ offensive falters in its Game 5 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

After Milwaukee lost control of the game in the third quarter, the home team’s performance improved significantly as Bobby Portis Jr. and middleton led the scoring with a combined 17 points to help open the game. When the last 12 minutes rolled around, Milwaukee had a 20-point lead.

And things for Indiana never improved.

Despite a brief spurt by the Pacers, the Bucks never let up in the fourth quarter, and Milwaukee was able to remove its starting in the last two minutes to effectively end the game and set up a Game 6 with a 115-92 victory.

The Bucks’ triumph in a postseason game while missing their two top players from the regular season making them the first team in NBA history to do it. Without both Lillard and Antetokounmpo, it was clearly difficult to upset the Pacers, but Milwaukee managed to find the additional spark they required.

Now that it’s back home, it can focus on creating a seventh game.

Its next game is scheduled for Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, until then. The start time will be declared.