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Wheat Hotchkiss

Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

In the words of the late Hall of Famer Slick Leonard, "Boom Baby!" The Indiana Pacers are moving on to the next round of the NBA Playoffs.

The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 120-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They did so in fitting fashion outrunning an older and ailing Milwaukee squad and putting up points with a balanced offensive attack.

Indiana fumbled its first opportunity to close out the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, but took care of business on is home floor on Thursday to advance to the second round for the first time since 2014.

The Pacers will advance to face the winner of the New York-Philadelphia series in the next round, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 6.

The Blue & Gold were flying all over the Fieldhouse, knocking down shots, intercepting passes, and sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy.

Six Pacers reached double figures in the victory, with reserves Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell leading the way with the best postseason performances of their respective careers.

Toppin scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench, while McConnell tallied 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, nine assists and four steals.

PLAYOFF CENTRAL: Follow Indiana's Postseason Run at Pacers.com/Playoffs >>

Pascal Siakam added 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists, while All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds.

It was a complete performance from the Blue & Gold, who never trailed over the final three quarters, shot 54.1 percent from the field and limited the Bucks to just 42.2 percent shooting.

"The thing that I love about our team is that we’re a true team," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "We’ve got some great individual players, but we’re a group that needs each other. And I think that’s something that the people of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana can get behind."

All-Star guard Damian Lillard returned for Game 6 for Milwaukee after missing the past two contests with a sore Achilles. Lillard scored 28 points, but it wasn't enough to lead the Bucks to victory.

Milwaukee remained without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who did not play all series due to a left soleus strain.

The Bucks used an early 8-0 run to open up a 10-3 lead three minutes into Game 6, but the Pacers kept their composure.

Indiana outscored Milwaukee 26-9 over the next seven minutes to open up a 10-point lead. The highlight in that stretch came with just under three minutes remaining in the opening frame, when McConnell jumped a passing lane to intercept a Khris Middleton pass, starting a break where he dished to Haliburton for an emphatic right-hand slam.

After the dunk, McConnell then picked off the ensuing inbounds pass. He kicked the ball to Haliburton at the top of the key, who dished to a cutting Toppin attacking the rim. Toppin drew a foul and hit both free throws.

Indiana took a 33-24 lead into the second quarter. Haliburton tallied 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and four rebounds in the first quarter, while Toppin tallied nine points off the bench.

The Bucks opened the ensuing frame with an 8-2 run, drawing within three following Middleton's three-point play. But the Pacers answered with a 10-2 surge of their own capped by Andrew Nembhard's 3-pointer that put Indiana back up by double digits with 7:51 remaining in the first half.

The Blue & Gold maintained a healthy lead for the reminder of the half, pushing it as high as 14 when Haliburton connected with Toppin on an alley-oop in the final minute. Indiana led 59-47 at the intermission.

The Bucks opened the second half with a 7-2 spurt to get back within seven, but five straight points from Siakam quickly pushed the margin back to double digits.

Myles Turner picked up his fourth foul less than two minutes into the half, forcing Toppin in to early action. The high-flying forward delivered 10 points in the third quarter, hitting two big threes and also throwing down a dunk in transition.

Indiana pushed the lead to 78-63 following Aaron Nesmith's three. Milwaukee then reeled off a 15-7 run, but the Blue & Gold closed the quarter with a flourish.

McConnell started the run with a layup with 58.7 seconds remaining. On the other end, Andrew Nembhard picked off a pass from Brook Lopez, then bullied his way through Malik Beasley in transition for a three-point play. After Middleton missed a three, the Bucks sagged off McConnell at the top of the key, so the veteran guard stepped up and knocked down the open shot to push the lead back to 93-78 entering the fourth quarter.

McConnell knocked down another trey — this one from the left corner — on the opening possession of the final frame to push the lead to 18.

He continued to make plays in the subsequent minutes, spinning around Lillard for a layup at 9:57, then weaving through the 6-10 Bobby Portis on the baseline and converting a fall-away jumper as the shot clock expired at 8:38.

That made it 101-84 and rookie guard Ben Sheppard added a three on the next possession to push the lead to 20.

“McConnell last game had a rough game," Carlisle said. "His bounce back today was absolutely phenomenal. I would say in this game he was the major difference-maker with defensive intensity full-court, he knocked in two or three threes, he got in some difficult hoops around the basket. The crowd was going crazy. That period late third, early fourth quarter, it was something else."

There was little drama in the final minutes, which turned instead into a celebration, with every key contributor getting their turn receiving a standing ovation from the crowd as Carlisle subbed them out one by one.

Nesmith scored 15 points for Indiana in the victory, while Nembhard tallied 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Portis finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee. Lopez added 20 points, while Middleton finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.

The Pacers had been resilient all season, responding to tough losses with bounce-back performances. That held true in this series, as they twice lost by double digits only to win by double digits the next game. After a 115-92 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday, they didn't mess around on Thursday night.

"A lot of us had never been in that situation, in a close-out game," Haliburton said. "Teams are going to play desperate, they are going to play hard. That’s what they did in Game 5. As players, we felt like we were trying a little more not to lose than to win — if that makes any sense. We had to do a better job of being more aggressive, playing harder, and controlling what we can. I thought we did a better job of that today."

In the victorious locker room, Pacers center Myles Turner — the longest-tenured player on the roster in his ninth season and his sixth playoff appearance — reflected on what it means for the city to advance.

"I think the city deserves this," Turner said. "Obviously I’m excited, but I think this is more so about Indianapolis, Indiana fans. They’ve been waiting a long time, I think it was a decade, to get back to this (round). We don’t want to stop here. We still have a lot more work to do."

Toppin's 21 points were a new postseason career high. His previous high was 18 for the Knicks last season against Miami on April 30, 2023.

McConnell set playoff career highs with both his 20 points and nine assists. He had scored 19 points for Philadelphia against Boston on May 7, 2018 and had eight assists in Game 4 against the Bucks on Sunday.

Haliburton recorded his third double-double of the series. He had another double-double in Game 2 and a triple-double in Game 3.

The Pacers had 33 assists on 46 field goals on Thursday. The Bucks had 19 assists on 35 field goals.

Indiana outscored the Bucks 60-46 in the paint and by 18 points from 3-point range (the Pacers were 13-for-40 from beyond the arc, while Milwaukee was 7-for-27).

“The difference in the series was pressure. It’s very difficult to get a group of guys to buy into 94-foot, full-court pressure on every possession that’s not a fastbreak. And our guys did it. Siakam was picking up full court, Toppin was doing it, everybody was doing it. That allowed us to maintain our pace. And we just felt that if we could keep pressure on them, we’d make it difficult.” -Carlisle on the key to the Pacers winning the series

"I thought everybody just played the right way. I thought Obi came in and played with unbelievable energy. T.J.’s energy was amazing … the bench’s energy was flowing the whole game honestly. At the end of the day, the two games we lost in this series, they dictated the pace and in the games we won we dictated it. We just knew we were going to come out, be aggressive. I think their switching kind of slowed us down in Game 5. We just didn't’ wait to see what they were going to do. It didn’t really mattered what they were going to do. We just attacked.” –Haliburton on the Game 6 win

“We have a great crowd. They just did a good job of rallying us, keeping us engaged. I think that our crowd has been second-to-none all year. We’ve talked about that throughout the series. … I think just because of the pace that we play at when we’re at home, and guys are feeling good, we’re a really tough team to beat. I think it just all goes to pace. For some reason, you play faster at home. I think it's human nature to a point. I thought we did a good job of that.” Haliburton on the crowd and playing faster at home

"If I can be honest, I think our bench took a couple steps back competitive-wise and productivity-wise. I think tonight, all of us, just had a mentality of ‘we’re going to go out there and go to another level competitively,’ and that’s kind of the bench I saw all season. I’m happy for every guy that has come off the bench this season." -McConnell on the bench's big night

“I don’t really think there’s a lot of ego with our group…I don’t think we really deal with that a lot in our locker room. I think we do a great job of communicating more than anything. If we see one guy’s going, we try to go back to him. If we see one guy’s off, we try to give him energy. That’s what it’s about. Being a team. I think we’re the epitome of that. We have two All-Stars on our team, but we have guys that play above their role. That’s something that doesn’t happen a lot in this league.” -Turner on what makes this team successful

“Everybody just listens to each other. Whether you’re a starter, whether you are on the bench. Everybody is trying to get better out there and we are always trying to put each other in position to be successful.” –Toppin on the team

"I thought our guys learned an awful lot in this series. It’s hard to go through a playoff series against an experienced team like this as your first time in the playoffs. And we had a lot of guys that were first-timers. They learned the things that you need to learn along the way. The ability to win Game 2 and get homecourt advantage was obviously enormous." -Carlisle

"I felt like tonight was one of my better ‘let the game come to me’ games. I felt like I tried to force the issue (in) a couple of games. It really hasn’t worked out the way I’d like to. (Assistant coach) Lloyd Pierce just kind of said ‘let the game come to you. Get off the ball and it will find its way back.’ It did, so credit to my teammates." -McConnell on his performance

"The whole city and fanbase is behind Myles Turner. This is nine years. He’s never advance in the playoffs. And he was the foundation of this." -Carlisle on Turner

"I was very excited for our group and the city just because I’ve seen the highs and lows of this. I know the fans have seen the highs and lows of this over the past 10 years as well. To finally get a little bit of the fruit of your labor with this is incredible. We still have a lot of work to do, but for me personally, it means a lot to finally advance." -on what it means for him personally to advance

The Pacers had the highest scoring bench in the NBA in the regular season and their second unit was dominant in a close-out game on Thursday. Indiana's reserves outscored the Bucks' bench 50-10 in Game 6.

Secure playoff tickets by placing a deposit on a 2024-25 season ticket package or get exclusive presale access for future rounds by subscribing to Pacers Insider. Get more details at Pacers.com/Playoffs.

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Game Rewind: Pacers 120, Bucks 98 (Game 6)

The "Gold Out" is back for Game 6! The Pacers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 PM ET with a chance to close out their best-of-seven playoff series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Pacers announced Wednesday at all fans in attendance will receive a gold t-shirt.

The shirt, which was officially unveiled on social media on Wednesday, features the letters "IND" emblazoned across an outline of the state of Indiana.

The Pacers are 2-0 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse so far this postseason, winning in dramatic fashion in a 121-118 overtime victory in Game 3 on Friday before rolling to a 126-113 victory in Game 4 on Sunday. With one more victory on Thursday, the Blue & Gold would advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they would face the winner of the New York/Philadelphia series.

The 2024 Pacers Playoffs are presented by KeyBank, Starry, and Kroger. For Playoff tickets, news, videos, and more please visit Pacers.com/Playoffs.

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Pacers to Gold Out Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 6 vs Milwaukee on Thursday, May 2

Jordan Morey

Tuesday, April 30 at 9:30 PM ET at Fiserv Forum

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Game Recap: Bucks 115, Pacers 92

The Milwaukee Bucks have extended their first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers to a Game 6, but now the Blue & Gold will have a chance to close out the first-round matchup at home.

With a 115-92 Game 5 victory over sixth-seeded Indiana on Tuesday at Fiserv Forum, the No. 3 Bucks narrowed the Pacers series lead to 3-2. Indiana can advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals by beating Milwaukee at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday.

Including their regular season slate, Indiana’s 92 points are the fewest by the Pacers in a game for the 2023-2024 season. Indiana shot just 44.4 percent from the field, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range, while the Bucks made 52.4 percent of their shots.

After leading by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, a 17-point second frame put the Pacers behind 53-48 at halftime. Milwaukee then boosted its lead to 20 by outscoring Indiana 34-19 in the third quarter before holding on in the final frame.

Milwaukee was again without two superstars on Tuesday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo remained sidelined with a calf injury and Damian Lillard missed a second straight game for the Bucks due to an Achilles strain. Their status for the remainder of the series is unknown.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 16 points and six assists, center Myles Turner logged 13 points, and Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam each recorded 12 points for the Blue & Gold.

Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis each put up 29 points to lead the Bucks while pulling down double-digit rebounds, Malik Beasley scored 18 points and Patrick Beverly had 13 points and 12 assists.

"We’ve just got to understand that they’re a team that’s on the brink of their season being done," Haliburton said postgame. "They’re playing desperate, they’re playing hard, as they should be.  At the end of the day, they out-competed us tonight. They played harder, they played better. They kind of just dominated us in every facet of the game tonight. We’ve got to be better. It starts with me and that first group, but we’ve just got to be better top to bottom.” 

Indiana’s red-hot shooting from deep in Game 4 carried into the start of Game 5, as the Pacers made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter to lead 31-23.

Middleton scored 10 quick points by making a trio of field goals and free throws to start the game, but the Pacers answered with four 3-pointers, with two coming from Haliburton, during the same stretch to lead 16-14 midway through the period.

Out of a timeout, the Pacers extended their scoring streak to 12-0 thanks to two tough baskets by Turner, a step-back jumper from Nembhard, and a 3-pointer from Ben Sheppard, extending their advantage to 23-14.

In the last three minutes of the first quarter, Sheppard’s second 3-pointer of the night and a trey from Doug McDermott kept the visitors ahead by eight.

The Pacers cooled off in the second quarter, and the Bucks took advantage to lead 53-48 at halftime. Indiana shot 35 percent in the frame as they were outscored 30-17.

Milwaukee opened the second quarter on a 16-2 run, holding the Pacers to 1-for-8 shooting to start the frame, to retake the lead at 38-32 with 7:02 left in the half.&nbsp;

Haliburton hit a 3-pointer and got a tear-drop floater to fall to stop the bleeding, but five points by Pat Connaughton and a 3-pointer by Beverley helped keep the Bucks ahead by five going into the locker room.

The Bucks opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run, with Middelton adding five more points to his total, before an 8-2 run where Brook Lopez scored three straight baskets extended the lead to 72-57 with 5:24 on the clock.

After the teams traded baskets for the next two minutes, Middleton got another basket to go and Beasley hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Bucks in front 82-63 with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

Going into the final frame, the Bucks led 87-67.&nbsp;

In the final 12 minutes, the Pacers never cut the lead to single digits, emptying their bench with 4:55 remaining.

The Bucks outrebounded the Pacers 44-36 and outscored the Blue & Gold 50-42 in the paint. Indiana had just five fastbreak points in the loss.

“I thought one of the problems we had was that even when we got stops, we weren’t pushing the ball with the pace and speed that we needed to," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have to look at all that. But it’s a long series. We’re going to Game 6, and we’re going back home. We’ve got to get prepared for Thursday.”

The winner of the Indiana-Milwaukee series will face either the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers in the East Semifinals, which will be on Monday, May 6. On Tuesday, the Sixers narrowed the series to 3-2 after beating the Knicks in overtime at Madison Square Garden.

Indiana made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and five for the rest of the game.

Three Bucks players recorded double-doubles: Patrick Beverley (13 points, 12 assists), Khris Middleton (29 points, 12 rebounds), and Bobby Portis (29 points, 10 rebounds). Indiana had none.

The Pacers shot 8-for-13 on free throws and the Bucks made 16 of 20.

Indiana finished with 12 turnovers and Bucks had 10.

Milwaukee had 16 second-chance points to Indiana’s nine.

On Tuesday, no Pacers player cracked 20 points for the first time this playoff series.

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Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Game 5) | April 30, 2024

“After a good first quarter, things went very much downhill after that. Give the Bucks credit, they played hard. They played with a high compete level. We did some good things early. I don’t think we were playing with the kind of intensity that we needed to even though we had the lead. We paid the price. I haven’t watched the film yet, so I don’t have a total view of it. We just didn’t play with the consistent compete level we needed to. I will take the responsibility for that. I didn't’ have these guys ready the way they needed to be ready to play this game.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on Game 5

“They picked up their intensity. There were times when we had some good shots, but I need to look at the context with which the shots happened. But this series is about defense. Having them get to 115 and us 92, our defense needed to be better, our rebounding needed to be better. At halftime, we had seven out of 19 loose balls, and that’s just not close to being good enough. We’re going to have to do a lot better.” – Carlisle on the second and third quarters

“We just got stagnant, stopped making shots, and stopped playing our brand of basketball. Ultimately, kind of fell into the way they play - a little bit slower pace than we do. They controlled the pace tonight. Hell of a game tonight for a lot of their guys on their team, kudos to them for coming out and being ready. We’ve got to be ready for next game.” – Tyrese Haliburton on the loss

“We’ve just got to be prepared for whatever. I think the focus is more on us and being who we are. We just didn’t do that today. We’ve got to be better in Game 6.” – Haliburton on Game 6

“I thought that they played well. They got energy from the crowd and played well. I think we just gotta go back, get better … we’re home and get a win.” – Pascal Siakam on the loss

“It’s a series, it’s the playoffs. We won a couple, they got one. We’ve got to try and get the next one.” – Siakam on looking ahead

“I think when you get in situations like when you get your offense going, it’s easy to kind of have a little of a lull. Defensively it obviously wasn’t all there for us tonight. I think more than anything you have to embrace what’s in front of you, no matter what happens…We know nothing’s going to be handed to us, nothing’s going to be given to us. It doesn’t matter who they have out there. They are NBA players at the end of the day with a championship level of experience. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.” -- Myles Turner on where things went wrong after a hot first quarter

“I think that was more us on ourselves as opposed to their defense. I think we settled. I think their defense enticed us to settle (for) some of those open-looking shots as opposed to those games where you have 30 assists or whatever it may be. That’s when you’re playing Pacers basketball. I think tonight we kind of got away from ourselves.” -- Turner on lack of attacking the pain

“They’re two All-Stars, so obviously they’ll require a level of attention. But more than anything, it doesn’t really change our approach. You have to be (conscious) of guys like that, but you can’t change the way you play basketball. We got here by playing Pacers basketball, so we’ve got to continue to play Pacers basketball. I think that was our problem tonight. We kind of got away from that.” -- Turner on the potential returns of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard

Indiana’s 92 points on Tuesday are the fewest by the team in a game this season (regular and playoffs).

The Pacers will return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host the Bucks for Game 6 on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 PM ET.&nbsp;Find Tickets >>

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Game Rewind: Pacers 92, Bucks 115 (Game 5)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers are headed to Paris in 2025 for a two-game series with the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA announced today, the fourth NBA Paris Games 2025 presented by Tissot. The games will take place on Thursday, January 23, 2025, and Saturday, January 25, 2025, the first time the NBA will play two regular-season games in the French capital in the same season.

These regular-season matchups will mark the Pacers’ first trip to France, second and third regular season games in Europe, and tenth and eleventh internationally played games in franchise history.

“The Pacers enjoy tremendous support from fans globally, and we are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the NBA’s efforts to continue bringing the game to new generations of fans all around the world,” said Kevin Pritchard, Pacers President of Basketball Operations.

Pacers fans can make the trip to Paris to catch these historic games and cheer on the team, as well. By visiting https://nbaexperiences.com/nba-paris-game-2025, they can explore Official NBA Experience Packages, which include game tickets, premium hospitality, VIP events, hotel accommodations, and more. Fans can also register to receive additional updates and news about NBA Paris Games 2025 presented by Tissot.

The last time the Pacers played internationally was in 2019, when the team traveled to Mumbai, India, to take on the Sacramento Kings in a preseason matchup. It was the first-ever NBA game played in India, part of the NBA’s ongoing effort to bring the game of basketball to fans across the globe.

While in Paris, the Pacers and Spurs will conduct interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives, and Jr. NBA youth basketball development programming, in addition to the games themselves.

indiana-pacers-to-face-san-antonio-spurs-in-paris-for-two-regular-season-games-in-january-2025

Indiana Pacers to Face San Antonio Spurs in Paris for Two Regular Season Games in January 2025

There's under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in Game 4 on Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Myles Turner — the longest tenured Pacer — has given the sellout crowd plenty to cheer about, adding several new clips to his already extensive highlight reel in this building.

He just hit his fifth three of the night on the previous possession to push Indiana's lead back to double digits. Bucks forward Jae Crowder is whistled for a foul on Pascal Siakam with 7:34 to play. During the brief lull in the action, a chant starts to build in the upper rafters of the Fieldhouse, building up quickly like a snowball rolling down a hill, and soon seemingly all 17,274 are chanting in unison.

The Pacers inbound the ball and Turner sets a screen above the 3-point arc for Andrew Nembhard. After Nembhard dribbles by him, Turner moves left, catches a dish from Nembhard, and hoists another three.

The ball swishes through the net. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers calls a timeout. Turner skips backward toward the Pacers bench, then spins around to look at the crowd, holding his right hand to his ear.

That put the Pacers up 108-94. The Bucks never got back within single digits, as Indiana cruised to a 126-113 win and now leads the best-of-seven series, 3-1. The Blue & Gold are now one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, something they've never done in Turner's nine seasons with the franchise.

One of the biggest reasons they're in that position is the play of Turner. He tallied 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three blocks in Tuesday's Game 2 win in Milwaukee. He dropped 29 to go along with nine rebounds in Friday's Game 3 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

And he was sensational on Sunday, scoring 29 points while going 10-for-17 from the field and 7-for-9 from 3-point range to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.

The Bucks were without stars Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (Achilles) on Sunday and lost starting big man Bobby Portis seven minutes into Game 4 after he was ejected for shoving and then swinging at Nembhard. But Milwaukee hung around for much of the night, only trailing by three at halftime and continuing to make runs into the second half.

But when the Pacers needed it most, Turner repeatedly delivered, igniting the crowd and sparking key runs that lifted the Pacers to victory.

The Bucks were still hanging around, trailing 83-76 when Milwaukee center Brook Lopez stepped to the free throw line with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter. But Lopez missed both foul shots, with T.J. McConnell rebounding the second miss and pushing the break.

As McConnell weaved his way to the rim, he spotted Turner running the floor and tossed the ball back to the big man as he streaked through the lane. Turner gathered and rose up from well outside the restricted arc. Lopez was there to contest, but Turner powered through him, throwing the ball through the rim with his right hand with authority.

Whether it was a dunk or something else is up for debate, but it certainly was a poster, reminiscent of two other memorable postseason dunks Turner previously had in this building, a baseline slam over Tristan Thompson in 2017 and a thunderous dunk over Gordon Hayward in 2019.

"Obviously it’s up there, but for me personally, I was just joking with my teammates — I feel like every postseason I get one of these since I’ve been in the league," Turner said of his dunk on Lopez. "So it’s nothing new for me. I tell them all the time, I’m not dunking the regular season, but postseason I’ll be straight. Got my legs right, just saw an opening and was able to make a great play."

The difference in this dunk and Turner's previous highlights? The Pacers lost both of those games. In fact, they were swept in both those series. This time, not only did the Pacers win, but they're now in the driver's seat to win the series.

On the possession after his posterizing moment, Turner spotted up in the left corner, caught a dish from McConnell, and drained a three, unleashing a primal scream in front of the Bucks' bench as the ball fell through the net.

Those five points helped trigger a 14-2 Indiana run that pushed the Pacers' lead to 17.

But the Bucks kept coming. Milwaukee used a 7-0 spurt at the start of the fourth quarter to make it a 98-92 game. It was still a six-point game when Turner hit a jumper with 9:17 to play. A minute later, he popped to the top of the key after setting a screen for Tyrese Haliburton. When both defenders went with Indiana's All-Star point guard, Haliburton kicked back to Turner, who drained the three.

Lopez missed a three on the other end, Nembhard grabbed the rebound, and then Crowder fouled Siakam. That's when the chants started serenading the Pacers center.

"That was special," Turner said. "I didn’t realize I hit the three while they were chanting my name. I saw that afterwards. But that was very special, just knowing how much the city means to me and they reciprocated that love.

"It was a dope moment for me. It’s definitely up there, and to happen in front of my family."

Moments like that are earned. Turner came to Indiana as a 19-year-old in 2015, when the Pacers drafted him with the 11th overall pick out of the University of Texas. Over the years, he's grown into a community pillar and a vocal leader of the locker room.

He's started for all nine of his seasons, playing alongside Paul George and George Hill, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, and now Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. He's been a part of six playoff teams and stayed with the team through its recent rebuild, the one constant on a roster that has undergone several drastic transformations over the last decade.

Turner has sponsored a fan zone in Gainbridge Fieldhouse since 2016 and makes a point to give back to the community with his W.A.R.M. initiative. His family has become part of the Pacers family. They have seats in the front row on the south baseline. After Sunday's win, the 28-year-old shared an emotional embrace with them.

Turner is best known across the league for his rim protection, having led the league in blocks twice in his career. But he is also capable of stretching the floor as a shooter, something he proved on Sunday.

Turner's seven 3-pointers tied a Pacers playoff franchise record, joining a list with Chuck Person (1991), Reggie Miller (1995 and 2000), Paul George (2014), and Bojan Bogdanovic (2018) as the only players in franchise history to make seven threes in a postseason game.

Turner said he had studied film of his shooting stroke in recent games and noticed he was leaning more than he should be on his shot. He made some subtle adjustments to his form on Sunday and went 7-for-9 from distance.

"He was sensational on both ends of the floor," Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. "Just playing with a lot of maturity and force, which is what we need from him…Just being a beast out there on both ends. He’s been great."

"He’s been doing it all year," McConnell added. "He's just the anchor to our defense and he can be a mismatch for a lot of teams the way he’s able to step out and make shots...He was obviously really, really good tonight and deserved that - those fans calling his name. He played really well."

No player was more excited for Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host playoff games this weekend than Turner, one of just two players on the roster (along with Doug McDermott) who played in the last playoff series in the building in 2019. When he was asked after Game 2 what his message was to Pacers fans ahead of this weekend, he responded, "Can I cuss? Scream y’alls (expletive) heads off."

The fans answered the call, with Turner providing many of the loudest moments. If he has his way, there are a lot more highlights yet to come this postseason.

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Turner Ignites Home Crowd with "Sensational" Performance in Game 4

Sunday, April 28 at 7:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

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Game Recap: Pacers 126, Bucks 113

The Indiana Pacers have held home court and are one win away from the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Making a Pacers franchise playoff record 22 3-pointers on Sunday, Indiana (3-1) beat a short-handed Milwaukee Bucks squad 126-113 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Bucks will host Game 5 on Tuesday night at a time to be determined by the NBA.

Six Pacers players scored in double figures, led by 29 by veteran center Myles Turner, who finished 10-for-17 from the field (7-for-9 from 3-point range). Turner’s seven made threes are tied for the most in a playoff game by a Pacers player, with just Chuck Person (1991), Reggie Miller (1995, 2000), Paul George (2009) and Bojan Bogdanovic (2018) also accomplishing the feat.

RELATED: Turner Ignites Home Crowd with "Sensational" Performance in Game 4 >>

After Turner, Tyrese Haliburton had 24 points on five made 3-pointers, Andrew Nembhard logged 15 points, and Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Obi Toppin each scored 13.

Overall, the Pacers shot 51.7 from the field, including 22-for-43 from 3-point range (51.2 percent). Seven different players made a 3-pointer for Indiana in the game.

Milwaukee shot 51.1 percent from the field (12-for-33 from 3-point range ), and was led by center Brook Lopez’s 27 points. After Lopez, Khris Middleton scored 25 and Malik Beasley put in 20.

Milwaukee played without two of their stars on Sunday, as two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo remained sidelined with a calf injury and Damian Lillard missed his first game of the series due to an Achilles injury sustained during Game 3. Their status for the remainder of the series is unknown.

“The guys did a great job of keeping pressure in the game,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “The fans were fantastic. We had some really good individual performances...But when you're in a playoff series and you win, your celebrations have to be pretty short and you have to keep focusing. That will be our task. Tuesday, I have an idea what’s coming then with their crowd and everything. Important win, we’ll get ready for Tuesday.”

In the first half, the Pacers made 12 of 22 shots from 3-point range to lead 67-64. Milwaukee kept it close by shooting 59.6 percent from the field in the first 24 minutes.

Haliburton had 15 points in the first half for the Pacers and Turner scored 13.

While the Pacers made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter on 12 attempts, with a different player making each one, the teams tied at 33-33 by the end of the frame as the Bucks shot 58 percent overall from the field.

After Indiana shot 3-for-8 to start the game, Haliburton scored six straight points for the Pacers and Turner and Nesmith each added 3-pointers to put the Blue & Gold up 17-16 with 5:30 on the clock.

With 5:01 left in the opening quarter, tensions boiled, and Bucks starting forward Bobby Portis was ejected from the game after shoving Nembhard and slapping him in the head on a play under the visitors’ basket.

After each team hit a free throw, Toppin came off the bench and scored three straight baskets for the Blue & Gold, including an alley-oop dunk off a half-court pass from Haliburton, to put the Pacers up 24-21 with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

Rookie Ben Sheppard, Doug McDermott, and Toppin all hit treys in the last 3:13 of the first quarter, but the score stayed tied at 33 after 12 minutes of play.

T.J. McConnell made a trio of buckets to start the second quarter, while also dishing out five assists, before the Pacers strung together a 13-4 run from 9:24 to 6:21, thanks to seven points by Turner, to lead 54-46 with 6:21 left in the half.

While Indiana made shots down the last stretch of the first half, so did the Bucks, as the visitors narrowed the lead to three a trio of times before intermission.

Indiana shot 57 percent from the field while holding Milwaukee to 34.8 percent shooting in the third quarter to lead 98-85 heading into the final frame. The Pacers shot 7-for-14 from 3-point range in the period.

After Lopez scored a basket out of halftime, Haliburton went on a self-imposed 9-0 run by draining three straight 3-pointers to put the Blue & Gold ahead 76-66 and force a Bucks timeout.

The Bucks answered with five straight points out of the huddle before a Toppin layup, Turner poster dunk over Lopez, and Turner 3-pointer – Indiana’s record-breaking 17th of the game – put the Pacers ahead 88-76 with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

Indiana didn't lay off the gas from there, as Nesmith made a 3-pointer, McConnell hit a fade away from close range and Toppin converted a layup to give the Pacers a 13-point lead.

Milwaukee made three straight baskets in the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter to narrow the score to 98-92, but then Turner caught fire again – scoring eight straight points for the Pacers in a 10-2 run to give the Blue & Gold a 108-94 lead with 7:24 left in the game. Turner made two 3-pointers during the stretch, with the crowd chanting his name before draining the one before a timeout.

In the final six minutes of action, the Pacers never let go of the double-digit advantage as Nembhard made three straight shots, Siakam converted an and-one and hit a mid-range jumper, and Turner splashed his seventh 3-pointer.

“I think after that first game, we watched a lot of film and just saw some of the holes in the defense,” Turner said of his historic 3-point shooting night. “We realized that there were open spots for us to exploit. A lot of it being just read and react, read and react, which is what our offense is. I’ve been shooting threes my entire life. I didn’t really shoot too many in college or coming into the league, but I’ve always been capable. I’ve put in a lot of work to get to where I need to be. Just going to continue to keep putting my work and the results will continue to show.”

Indiana finished with 33 assists in the game and turned the ball over just seven times.

Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell combined for 17 assists and zero turnovers.

Turner has scored 29 points in each of the last two playoff games, which are both career-bests in a postseason game.

Both starting centers shot the ball at a high clip, with the Bucks’ Brook Lopez going 14-for-18 from the field and Turner finishing 10-for-17 from the field.

Indiana’s bench outscored the Bucks’ reserves 32-28.

The Pacers had just seven fastbreak points in the game and the Bucks finished with five.

Khris Middleton has recorded double-doubles in each of the last two games.

There were 10 lead changes and four ties in the game.

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Indiana Pacers Postgame Media Availability vs. Milwaukee Bucks (Game 4) | April 28, 2024

“Our pressure wasn’t where it needed to be in the first half. We were able to pick it up in the second half. It helps. We gotta keep adjusting to what’s going on with their team. They're changing things up, they’re playing different guys. They’re doing different schemes. We’ve got to keep abreast of it and keep trying to counter.” – Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on the team's defense in the second half

“I thought both of those guys played amazing games. Lopez was spectacular and so was Myles. It was a great battle between the two of them.” – Carlisle on Turner and Lopez

“It ramped up the intensity of the overall game. It didn’t make the game any easier in my mind. I think Portis is a very underrated player. Credit to them, when they lost one of their weapons, they kept their level high. It was a three-point game at halftime and a lot of continued work in the second half to get the win. I didn’t see a replay of what happened or anything, so I don’t know anything other than what the officials told me right afterwards.” – Carlisle on Portis and the ejection

“Obviously it’s up there, but for me personally, I was just joking with my teammates — I feel like every postseason I get one of these since I’ve been in the league. So it’s nothing new for me. I tell them all the time, I’m not dunking the regular season, but postseason I’ll be straight. Got my legs right, just saw an opening and was able to make a great play.” – Myles Turner on his poster dunk and where it ranks among his career highlights

“That was special. I didn’t realize I hit the three while they were chanting my name. I saw that afterwards. But that was very special, just knowing how much the city means to me and they reciprocated that love. It was a dope moment for me. It’s definitely up there, and to happen in front of my family. It was a very special moment for me.” -Turner on hearing the fans chant his name

"We’ll celebrate tonight, but we need to get right back to it tomorrow. We still have one more game to win. Never too high, never too low.” – Turner on the win

“I think we’ve got to understand all year we’ve struggled when teams miss their guys. That’s kind of been the story of our season, losing games we’re quote-unquote supposed to win. Just looking at this, it could have been like some call it a trap game, just letting your guard down…We didn’t want to do that. We wanted to come out and play the right way. That was important.” - Tyrese Haliburton on not overlooking the undermanned Bucks

“Just important for us to do our thing. I think the way games go — like Game 1 I felt like they dictated the tempo. And I would say the story of the last three games is we have. And usually that comes from who can get enough stops to really play their style of play…We made a decision after Game 1 that no matter what, we were going to dictate the pace, on makes, on misses. That’s really how we’ve created our identity the whole year. I think people know on makes, on misses that we’re pushing the ball. I think that that’s important for us. We’ve kind of got back to that these last three games. And in a world, in a league that says oh, you can’t play fast in the playoffs, we don’t really believe in that. We’re going to be who we are and put our identity and our imprint on our game.” - Haliburton on the importance maintaining their pace

“The  21-point quarter enabled us to get out and do what we do best, which is get out in transition and run, and get the crowd into it. There was the possession where Myles got the dunk and three, and so it got the crowd involved in a big way. That was from our defense.” – T.J. McConnell on the third quarter and second-half defense

“He was obviously really, really good tonight and deserved that - those fans calling his name. He played really well.” – McConell on Turner

“There were the first two (playoff) games I’ve played in this building and (it was) incredibly, incredibly loud, and they’ve been incredibly important to what having a home court (advantage) is like in the playoffs. They have really willed us to win these games and we’re very thankful for that.” – McConnell on the crowds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

“I feel like it’s the law of averages.  We haven’t shot the ball well from three. We were due to kind of break out for one. We just gotta continue to shoot the open ones.” – McConnell on the Game 4 3-point shooting.

Indiana made a playoff franchise record 22 3-pointers against the Bucks on Sunday. The previous record was 16.

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