Pascal Siakam was the main man as the Indiana Pacers tied their playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks at 1-1, with the hosts faltering in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Elsewhere, the Dallas Mavericks also levelled it up on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Minnesota Timberwolves went 2-0 up versus the Phoenix Suns. The first two road wins of the 2024 NBA playoffs arrived on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks tied up their respective series’ with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, while the Minnesota Timberwolves doubled their advantage against the Phoenix Suns.
Damian Lillard was the standout for the Bucks in his first home postseason outing in the green jersey, but his 34 points were not enough for the 2021 NBA champions in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Instead, Pascal Siakam powered the visitors to a 125-108 victory, leading every quarter and never looking in danger. Siakam, who played 53 postseason games during his spell with the Toronto Raptors, put up a game-high 11 rebounds and 37 points for his team, with the series now levelled at 1-1. NBA legend and TNT Sports analyst Shaquille O’Neal said of the display: “If that three-ball is falling and Siakam is playing like that, [the Bucks] don’t have a chance.”
Charles Barkley agreed: “It’s easy. Shaq is right. Without Giannis, I don’t think [the Bucks] have any chance of beating these guys.”
Antetokounmpo is now battling to return from injury for game three on Friday evening, with coach Doc Rivers confirming the ‘Greek Freak’ is “getting closer” to a comeback having made it to the hardwood and begun shooting. In the West, Luka Doncic was the hero for the Mavericks, who needed a turnaround in the fourth quarter to edge the clippers 96-93, with a 14-0 run late on proving pivotal. The Slovenian racked up 32 points, saying he wanted to “make some noise… to prove we can play with them”. As well as his offensive showcase, Doncic restricted the Clippers to 2/17 from the floor when he was the primary defender. Kyrie Irving was also instrumental in his first playoff trip with Dallas, with 23 points on the night. For the hosts, Paul George and James Harden each chipped in with 22 in vain. In Tuesday’s other game, Jaden McDaniels top-scored with 25 points en route to a comfortable 105-93 victory for the Timberwolves over the Suns, with O’Neal stating: “This is why I always have praise for the others”. On the standing of McDaniels – who missed last season’s first round of the playoffs thanks to a broken hand after punching a wall – in comparison to superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, fellow pundit Kenny Smith told TNT Sports: “He’s on the verge of not being an ‘other’. He has the skillset to not be an ‘other'”. Conversely, Barkley added on his former team: “My Suns are in trouble. They never addressed the point guard situation. They needed another big body. They didn’t even need a great point guard – they just needed a serviceable point guard. “When you’re playing against some of the bigger teams in this league, you need more than one big guy.” Minnesota have now moved to third-favourites for the championship with many bookmakers, with a chance to extend their series lead to 3-0 on Friday.