The Indiana Pacers stole one game on the road through a second half surge in Game 2 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paskal Siakam led the way for the road team by scoring 37 points on 16/23 shooting.
Tyrese Haliburton also contributed 12 points and 12 assists while controlling the tempo from the get-go.
What happened on Tuesday night for the Pacers was the complete opposite of how they performed in the first half of their Game 1 encounter, wherein they were buried by up to a 20-point lead.
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This left them playing in the Bucks' tempo, and a comeback came a little too late.
Damian Lillard scored 34 points for the Bucks, Brook Lopez contributed 22, and Khris Middleton had 15.
The team continues to miss Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains doubtful for the series.
However, credit should still go to the Pacers for their adjustments.
3 takeaways from Game 2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers:
1. Second half sickness troubles the Bucks
The Bucks won Game 1, but their second half was suspect. They allowed the Pacers to make a run in the third quarter after being outscored 29-14.
The fourth quarter was also not as great, as they barely edged them 26-23.
The Pacers just went to this part of the first game; this time, they only had a small deficit to mount.
They did this while limiting Lillard again.
Dame scored all 35 of his points in the first half, and in the second half, he only added eight points to his 26-point output in the first two quarters.
2. The Pacers' full-court press took advantage of Gianni's absence
Rick Carlisle put the Bucks on a steamer in the second half as they started defending from the 94th feet.
They could disrupt the Bucks' defense and offense in one go. Milwaukee's loss of discipline did not help, either.
"The shots that we take are a part of our defense. And I thought in the second half, we lacked that discipline. We lacked that discipline tonight," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said post-game.
This would not have been possible if Giannis was in the game, as he is capable of bringing the ball up court to court, unlike Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez.
3. Rim protection was sorely missed
Again, Giannis is the center of gravity of his team.
Brook Lopez may be the shot blocker, but Antetokounmpo's defense makes him more effective.
Siakam shot 60 percent on the field. He became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in the 2000 NBA Playoffs to record 60 percent shooting in the first two games.
With one center on the court, it also became easier for Haliburton to find Siakam as he only had Pat Connaughton to guard him while Portis was busy with Myles Turner.
The Pacers only made six threes from their 43 total field goals in the second half, which has a lot to do with Siakam pouncing on the inside defense.
The Bucks, whose primary weapon is the three, had trouble finding their men and only managed three 3-point shots out of nine.
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