Being down three games to one is not at all what the Milwaukee Bucks expected during the NBA Playoffs. There were huge hopes that they would dominate after pairing up Giannis Antetokounmpo with Damian Lillard. The continuous growth of Brook Lopez on defense while Khris Middleton puts up the occasional big numbers were big reasons for this squad to get hyped up. Now, it looks like all of that crumbled with their big three hurt and Bobby Portis getting ejected. The result? The Indiana Pacers led by Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Haliburton are now inching closer to the second round.
Bucks needed the length
With most of their stars out, Coach Doc Rivers really needed to find a lot of players to keep the Bucks afloat. But, it was just not fate. A few minutes into the game, Bobby Portis and Andrew Nembhard got into an altercation beneath the rim. The two almost went at it before the Pacers and Bucks’ personnel helped cooled their heads. Unfortunately, the Bucks big man had already done the damage and he was ejected.
Bobby Portis only got to play seven minutes into this NBA Playoffs clash. He needed to play way more. But, the consequences of not having a cool head haunted the Bucks. The power forward only scored four points and had three rebounds to round the night out. The lackluster production due to meager minutes was not the only big problem that Doc Rivers had to fix. He was also out of a big man capable of grabbing boards and working on face-up plays.
This led to dire problems for the Bucks. They may have won the rebounding battle with 42 total boards but that gap from the Pacers’ 38 could have been way larger. Portis averages 7.4 rebounds on a nightly basis but that has spiked up in the NBA Playoffs. He had 40 rebounds in a three-game stretch against the Pacers. Clearly, this would have made a difference.
A big man problem
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The battle of the boards is also not the only crucial part of the game where his presence is needed. Portis is also a fairly solid defender and the Bucks are in dire need of length. When he left, the Myles Turner show began. Whether it was through his two-man game with Tyrese Haliburton or just a plain scheme to get him to the rim, no one could stop him. Brook Lopez was gassed after having to create on offense. So, someone above 6’9 could have really helped in stopping the Pacers big man.
Myles Turner finished the game by knocking down 10 out of 17 of his field goal shots and going two for six at the charity stripe. This led to a game-leading 29 points and the Pacers win.
With Khris Middleton going for 25, Brook Lopez notching 27, and Malik Beasly scoring 20, it’s hard not to see the Bucks winning had they just had another person score 15 points. Portis was the clear third option in these scenarios. Unfortunately, his temper got the best out of him.
