04/28/25 07:43:00
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04/28 07:42 CDT Pacers roll to 129-103 victory in Game 4 to take 3-1 lead after
Bucks lose Lillard to injury
Pacers roll to 129-103 victory in Game 4 to take 3-1 lead after Bucks lose
Lillard to injury
By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) --- The Indiana Pacers scored at will while the Milwaukee Bucks
couldn't recover from the loss of one of their two superstar players.
Now the Pacers are on the verge of ending the Bucks' season for a second
straight year.
Myles Turner scored 23 points and the Pacers shot 60.2% on Sunday night while
winning 129-103 over the Bucks, who lost Damian Lillard to a lower left leg
injury midway through the first quarter.
The preliminary examination of Lillard indicated a possible Achilles tendon
injury, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The
person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team did not immediately
reveal those details.
"Once he kind of looked back, I think we all kind of knew what it was," Turner
said. "It's a weird feeling to describe because you have to still compete, you
have to get out there, but you just never want to see that happen to another
athlete who puts in as much time as he does to his craft and to his game, like
we all do.
"It's very disheartening, but it happens fast. It's the playoffs. You have to
be able to move on."
The Pacers, who beat Milwaukee 4-2 in the first round last year, can eliminate
the Bucks again by winning Game 5 on Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Bucks have
lost eight straight road playoff games and the last five of those defeats have
come at Indiana.
Milwaukee might have to try ending that streak without Lillard, who was helped
off the court and into the locker room after suffering a non-contact injury
midway through the first quarter.
"They're going to do an image tomorrow," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said.
"Obviously, it's lower leg. And, just being honest, it's not very promising."
The Pacers led 15-12 at the time of Lillard's departure and seized control
without him, as eight Pacers scored in double figures.
Andrew Nembhard had 20 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points and 15
assists. T.J. McConnell had 15 points, Aaron Nesmith 14 and Obi Toppin 13.
Pascal Siakam and Jarace Walker added 12 points each.
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 15 rebounds and six assists
before leaving with 4:44 left and the Bucks trailing 120-98. Kevin Porter Jr.
added 23 points for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo was the only Bucks starter to score more than six points. Kyle
Kuzma continued his tough series by scoring three points and shooting 1 of 6.
"I've seen injuries deflate teams, but tonight, that one hurt," Rivers said. "I
thought our guys tried, but it was tough. ... My job over the next 48 hours or
whatever we have is to get us upright again, try to win one game in Indiana and
get it back here.
"But my brain right now is at the same place as our players are, and that's
thinking about Dame."
Two nights after blowing a 10-point halftime lead in a 117-101 loss at
Milwaukee, the Pacers bounced back. They won convincingly despite missing
Bennedict Mathurin, who was out with an abdominal bruise.
"I feel like we kind of let our foot off the gas pedal (in Game 3)," Haliburton
said. "I thought we responded the right way today."
Turner, who had scored six points while shooting 1 of 9 from the floor in Game
3, had nine points in the first 4 minutes Sunday as the Pacers never trailed.
The Pacers went on a 10-3 run immediately after Lillard's exit to extend its
lead to double digits. Indiana led 63-52 at halftime and stayed in control by
shooting 69.2% over the final two quarters.
___
AP Pro Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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