The Milwaukee Bucks weren’t ready for their season to end.
The drastically short-handed team, playing once again without stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, got contributions from up and down the roster in a dominating 115-92 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday at Fiserv Forum that cut the Pacers’ series lead to 3-2.
Game 6 is on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
‘I believed in them anyway,’ Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. ‘I said that after the game last game.
‘This team, they’re giving it to me. They’re doing everything. They really are. They’re playing together. They know we’re down men. They know we have to do it together. No one is trying to be the hero.’
Khris Middleton starts hot in first quarter
If there has been a hero for the Bucks this series it has been Khris Middleton. He has been carrying the Bucks’ offense with the absences of Lillard and Antetokounmpo, even with Middleton suffering injuries to both ankles in recent games. He came into Game 5 averaging 26.3 points for the series.
He started strong by scoring 10 of the Bucks’ first 14 points.
The Pacers were also hot in the first quarter after knocking down 21 three-pointers in Game 4. They made seven from long distance to take a 31-23 advantage after the first 12 minutes.
Middleton battled some foul trouble in the second half but finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
‘He’s been battling stuff all year,’ Bucks guard Malik Beasley said. ‘The fact that he came back last game even though he got hurt, came back in the game. Played his ass off.
‘To do what he did tonight, he’s our leader right now. Especially with those two guys out, he’s helping us a lot.’
Pat Beverley stands out as instigator
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers likes to call veteran guard Pat Beverley an ‘instigator.’
Beverley was that in every sense of the word in the second quarter.
He scored 12 points in the quarter as Milwaukee took a 53-48 lead into the break.
Beverley also handed out 10 assists.
‘His scoring was good, but I thought his playmaking was unbelieveable tonight,’ Rivers said.
Beverley also drew a technical foul on the Pacers’ Obi Toppin by trying to grab the ball out of Toppin’s hands. Toppin took exception and shoved Beverley into the Bucks’ bench. Toppin was given the technical after a video review by the referees.
Bobby Portis helps Bucks take control in third quarter
The Bucks took control of the game in the third quarter, starting with a 9-0 run.
The Pacers started cutting into the lead, getting within 66-57 on a layup by Andrew Nembhard.
But Bobby Portis, who was ejected in the first quarter of Game 4, pushed the lead back to 72-57 when Bobby Portis knocked in a layup and then fired up the crowd after Indiana called a timeout.
‘Bobby, he knows how important he is to this team,’ Beasley said. ‘Today before the shootaround he apologized (for the ejection). We need him out there.
‘He’s a beast. He makes plays. He gives us energy. We need everybody.’
The Fiserv Forum crowd really ignited when Beasley knocked down back-to-back three-pointers for a 82-63 lead.
Malik Beasley among the standout contributors
Pat Connaughton blocked a three-point attempt by the Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith at the third-quarte buzzer.
That was among the standout moments by players who made the most of their opportunities for the Bucks.
Danilo Gallinari played 20 minutes and pulled down six rebounds. The 35-year-old did not play in the first three games of the series.
‘It’s honestly not easy, I’ve never been in this situation before,’ Gallinari said. ‘I’ve always been a guy that played 30-plus minutes and even when I started coming off the bench in Atlanta, I played a lot of minutes.
‘It’s pretty new for me. This is something you learn how to do it. It’s all mental. The body, you work every day to get the body ready but the mental part, it’s such a mental game.’
Beasley also had a strong game, scoring all 18 of his points in the second half.
‘He needs to see the ball go in,’ Rivers said. ‘I need to see the ball go in, too, for him.’
He played big minutes in the third quarter when Middleton picked up his fourth foul, with Beasley guarding the Pacers’ Pascal Siakam.
‘Today, we made sure we were scrambling and helping each other,’ Beasley said. ‘I ended up being on him a few times, but my teammates had my back.
And the Bucks stayed alive to see another game.
‘I just saw something that we’re the first team to win (in the playoffs) without our top two scorers (from the regular season),’ Beasley said. ‘That just shows how deep we are as a team.
‘No matter how many guys we got out. No matter foul trouble or not. Hurt or not. We got to be prepared. It’s the playoffs, we got to do whatever we can to win.’
Five numbers
79 — Career playoff starts for Khris Middleton, tying him with Giannis Antetokounmpo for first on the Bucks all-time playoffs games started list.
4 — Games with at least 20 points for Middleton in the series.
6 — Technical fouls called on the Pacers in the series.
2 for 10 — A.J. Green’s three-point shooting in the series.
8 — Made three-pointers for Malik Beasley over the last two games