The Buck doesn't stop here as Milwaukee topples Indiana in game five
IMAGE: Jeff Hanisch USA Today Sports
Bobby doing work: Bobby Portis Jr’s career-best playoff game fuelled the Milwaukee Bucks to a game five victory.
Sitting on the brink of a disastrous opening-round exit, the Milwaukee Bucks laid out a steely resolve.
In doing so, they extended their postseason for another day, defeating the Indiana Pacers 115-92 in game five.
Led by Bobby Portis Jr and Khris Middleton's 29 points, the Bucks' performance resembled game one, where they were defensively active, causing all kinds of deflections.
Game five started like game four for Milwaukee as Indiana continued their red-hot three-point shooting, knocking down seven first-quarter threes. Until Milwaukee ramped up the defensive intensity to which the Pacers wilted, finishing just 12 of 38 from three-point territory (31.6%).
Defensive specialist Pat Beverley was a catalyst in the game's outcome, notably in the second period, scoring 12 points, igniting a momentum shift.
His ability to penetrate the lane and distribute to the perimeter caused problems for an already suspect Indiana defence.
The rebounding count was in Milwaukee's favour - unlike in game three when Indiana came up with the crucial offensive boards.
The Bucks' steady rebounding saw them win the battle of the boards by plus eight (44-36).
Can Indiana close the door on their home floor?
Or will Milwaukee revel in a hostile atmosphere and force a deciding seventh game back in the Deer District?
1. Portis Jr's emphatic redemption
Bobby Portis Jr embodies Milwaukee.
Blue collar, hard-working, and willing to fight and scrap for every possession.
Bucks fans have grown to shower him with "Bobby, Bobby" chants for what he brings on a nightly basis.
Teaching someone to play with tremendous heart and desire is a rarity.
In a vital game four, already short-handed minus Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetkounmpo, Portis Jr found himself in strife. Only seven minutes in, he and Andrew Nembhard got tangled away from the basket. Right in one another's faces, Portis Jr threw two jabs at Nembhard, ultimately resulting in two technicals and his ejection.
His loss hurt the Bucks' thin frontcourt, with coach Doc Rivers having to play former 2008 lottery pick Danilo Gallinari a portion of minutes at centre to preserve the substantial workload off Brook Lopez.
Deep down, Portis Jr knew he let his teammates down.
So after apologising for his actions, the energiser bunny went to work in redeeming himself in the biggest playoff game of the series.
He had a look of readiness in his eye, ready to be assertive.
Rightaway, he took the challenge right up to Pascal Siakam. Sizing him up on the left side of the floor, Portis Jr nailed his customary jumper from his favourite side.
Seeing Portis Jr on a roll, the Bucks looked to keep feeding him on the low block. He took Siakam to the playground with another silky smooth jumper, this time on the right side of the floor.
The Portis Jr exhibition.
Determined to maintain the rage, he outhunted three Pacers on the glass after missing his short right hook jumper, going to work against Myles Turner, before executing a turnaround fouline jumper.
Indiana could not contain him, as Portis Jr finished with a playoff career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds. But his lion-hearted defence curtailing Siakam, certainly played a determining role in the game's outcome.
When it seemed the Bucks season was curtains, Milwaukee's heart and soul convincingly made amends.
2. Pacers get stuck in the mud
Forecast back to game one, and the Pacers' offence was rigid and inconsistent.
However, in the next three games, they dictated the tempo, getting out on the fast break quicker than Usain Bolt and knocking threes down with regularity.
Game four was an exquisite display of unstoppable three-point shooting as the Pacers hit a franchise-record 22 triples. Indiana was getting everything from driving lanes to kick-out passes, leaving the Bucks' defence scrambling to cover the widening gaps.
Early doors and game five was going to script for Indiana, raining seven threes in the opening 12 minutes.
A dread would have rung inside Fiserv Forum at the sight of a fourth straight outing trailing by double-digits.
From the first period onwards, the flick switched behind the unrelenting Milwaukee perimeter defence. The Pacers shot only 5 of 25 from downtown (20%) for the remaining three quarters, including missing all five three-point attempts in the third.
Milwaukee's defensive activity in creating multiple defensive stops was on the back of contesting every Indiana shot. Aside from this, the Bucks grounded the Pacers into a slow half-court offence, sticking firm on their man without conceding easy paint touches and wide-open threes.
Typifying the Bucks' defensive desperation came at the third period's conclusion.
In a 2-3 zone, the Bucks applied a double-team with Gallinari and Beverley on Tyrese Haliburton from the top, forcing him to distribute to Aaron Nesmith.
Pat Connaughton, a couple of feet from his man Doug McDermott, rotated quickly to contest Nesmith's three-pointer by emphatically punctuating his shot as the buzzer sounded.
This defensive play summed up Milwaukee's relentless defensive commitment.
3. Do a Bucks superstar duo return for game six?
The question that grows imminent is, will Giannis Antetkounmpo and Damian Lillard play in game six?
Both have participated in off-court drills, further ramping their likelihood of a return, with the Bucks trailing 3-2.
Lillard has missed the previous two games, battling an Achilles tendon in his left leg.
Antetokounmpo has been out of action for three and a half weeks after straining his left calf against the Boston Celtics on April 9.
Throughout the series, both players have been day-to-day due to the delicate nature of their injuries. In their absence, Milwaukee has been able to generate plenty of offence.
But adding either one or both bolsters the firepower - Dame with his shot-making and Giannis with his fright-train tendencies going downhill to the basket.
Coach Doc Rivers was affirmative on the pair's availability for game six in Indiana, telling reporters post-game they are "very, very, very close".
How close they are shall be determined a few hours before tip-off.