Game 2 of the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks first-round playoff series took place on Tuesday. For the Pacers, who lost Game 1 by a score of 15 points and had a difficult first half, it was an important game.

In the second quarter of that game, they were behind by thirty points, and star player Tyrese Haliburton never got going. Indiana needed to demonstrate improvement on both ends of the court if they were to open the second game significantly better than they did.

The Bucks made two quick three-pointers to start the game and led 6-0. The Pacers were unable to afford to let Damian Lillard get going after being thoroughly outmuscled by Brook Lopez and Lillard. On Sunday night, he scored 35 points in the opening 20 minutes.

However, Indiana quickly responded with five points, and the game quickly picked up steam. Compared to the first combat, it started off faster, but the intensity and energy remained the same. The Pacers had to keep it up.

They were having trouble on defense, even though their offense was clicking in the first few minutes. After just over four minutes of play, Lillard was on a run with 10 points, and Brook Lopez was making threes as well. When the first timeout was called, Milwaukee was up 19 points to 13, and those two had all of the team’s points.

The blue and gold looked much better out of the halt. The Bucks’ Khris Middleton had to leave the game due to an ιnjury, and Lopez had given up making threes. For a short while, the hosts were unable to score as Indiana’s offense found its footing. With 2:43 remaining in the first quarter, the Pacers were ahead 24-23 on the scoreboard.

Throughout the first stanza, Indiana maintained their pressure by switching up their lineups. Although Lillard scored 15 points, no one else could stop the blue and gold. By the end of the frame, they were ahead.

The Pacers led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter. With nine points, Pascal Siakam led the pace for the visitors, but everyone contributed. Numerous players were making significant contributions on both ends.

Both teams made distinct modifications to start the second frame. Indiana chose a smaller frontcourt that included Siakam and Obi Toppin. Meanwhile, Milwaukee used a zone defense to start the quarter. Both teams were looking to change the rhythm of the game.

After a few minutes, the advantage was 35-34 in favor of Indiana, and head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout. He wаnted to discuss the situation as the Bucks were on a little winning streak. At that moment, Lillard had scored 20 points; he was back on fire.

Milwaukee grabbed the lead at 38-35 a few moments later, and the Pacers took another timeout. They needed to get their focus back and make some substitutions — they were having trouble scoring to start the second period.

As some starters came back in, the Pacers recovered. They got a few stops and paired it with some good ball movement, which put them back in the lead for a few possessions. It was a back-and-forth game for much of the second frame.

Another Pacers timeout came with 5:23 to go until halftime, and Milwaukee led 45-42 at the time. Indiana was struggling to get their early game mojo back, but they were doing well to hang around and keep the score close.

They tied the game at 50 with about four minutes left in the half. Both teams had improved in many ways from Game 1, and it led to a competitive bаttle. Siakam and Lillard were both rolling for their teams.

That continued for the rest of the first half, but the Pacers were slightly better in the final minutes. They led 60-55 after two frames, and Siakam was leading the way with 21 points and seven boards. Lillard had 26 points. It was an entertaining first half.

The third quarter started with great play from the Pacers, who went on a quick 9-3 run to start the period. That ballooned their lead to 11. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith were finishing plays in that stretch, and Indiana’s defense was effective. They had their first 10+ point lead of the series.

Milwaukee took a timeout to regroup at that moment. They needed to figure out what was going poorly for them early in the quarter. It was one of their worst stretches of the best-of-seven set so far, and head coach Doc Rivers wаnted to talk it over.

The Bucks scored four quick points coming out of the stoppage, and their defensive level improved. It was going to be a chippy bаttle the rest of the way.

The Pacers lead hovered near nine for the next few minutes. An altercation involving Andrew Nembhard, Patrick Beverley, and Bobby Portis got the crowd back into the game despite the home team playing below their expected level to that point in the second half. It was a physical game.

Portis got going in the ensuing minutes, and he played a big role in a 6-0 run from the Bucks. That cut into the Pacers edge, and the score was 79-76 at the time. Indiana took a timeout to reset and stop the run — they needed to regroup offensively.

The stoppage helped. They went on a 9-4 run coming out of the talking session, and they were back up by eight. The Pacers survived a bad stretch, which was important given how well they started off the second half.

They closed the quarter strong, too, and that took some air out of the Fiserv Forum. It was 92-83 at the time. Siakam was up to 29 points while Lillard had 34.

Milwaukee scored a few quick points to open the fourth quarter and get closer on the scoreboard. It was a crucial sequence — they were losing momentum but found a way to get the energy level back up in the first minutes of the quarter.

But the Pacers once again responded. Ben Sheppard Һit a tough reverse layup, Siakam Һit a few vital shots, and the blue and gold went up by 12 a few minutes later. It was 100-88, and the Bucks needed another timeout. They were able to go on a few mini runs, but they weren’t able to complete any comebacks to that point in the second half.

The Pacers lead reached 15 a few minutes later. They were clicking on both ends and clearly had found some solutions to the problems the Bucks presented in Game 1. They needed to stick with it for the final seven minutes if they were going to even up the series.

They kept pushing in the next stretch and expanded their lead to 20 at 112-92. Indiana was on a 20-4 run at the time and was dominating on both ends of the hardwood. It was as impressive as they’ve looked in a while.

Indiana was a few good plays away from putting Game 2 away. Some fans were heading to the exits with about five minutes to go and the Bucks trailing by 22. The action was nearly settled — they just needed to close it out.

Despite a bumpy last few minutes, the Pacers were able to hold on for the win. The final score was 125-108. Indiana tied the series at 1-1.

Siakam finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Haliburton had 11 points and 12 assists. Lillard finished with 34 points.

Game 3 is in Indianapolis on Friday.