Pacers Have NBA History on Their Side After Game 1 Win

The Indiana Pacers took care of business on Saturday afternoon, taking a 1-0 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of this best-of-seven series.

The Pacers dominated most of the game, and they'll look to continue taking care of business in Game 2. Winning Game 1 of the series is not the end-all, be-all. While starting the series on the right foot is excellent, there are still three more games to win.

Starting 1-0 is better than being down 0-1. The numbers tell us just that, as the Pacers appear to be on track to be on the right side of history.

Justin Turpin shared the shocking stat of teams that take 1-0 series leads, which heavily favors the Pacers.

Teams that win Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff series have gone on to win the series 79.4% of the time.
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) April 20, 2025

The Pacers are up by one game in the series. They need only three more wins to advance to the next series, and they look to match, if not exceed, their run from last season.

Indiana delivered a balanced effort in Game 1, with six players scoring in double digits. Pascal Siakam led the charge, posting 25 points on an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor, while also adding seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.

The Pacers received steady production from both their starting unit and the bench, even with Tyrese Haliburton having an off night by his standards. The two-time All-Star wasn’t at his best offensively, but Saturday’s game appeared to be more of an outlier than a trend.

Despite the scoring struggles, Haliburton still found ways to impact the game. He dished out 12 assists, grabbed seven boards, and posted a team-high +27 in the plus-minus column—a reflection of his ability to elevate the team even when his shot isn’t falling.

Looking ahead to Game 2, Indiana enters as a 4.5-point favorite, and rightfully so. They've been one of the league’s most consistent teams all season and are eager to make that statement clear throughout this playoff run.

With a solid opening win under their belt, the Pacers will aim to ride that momentum, feeding off their depth and the energy from their home crowd as they take full control of the series.

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