Rick Carlisle Critical of Pacers Despite Massive Win Over Bucks

Despite seeing his Indiana Pacers obliterate the visiting Milwaukee Bucks during the first game of their first round playoff series rematch Saturday, 117-98, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle appears to believe there is major room for improvement.

During a postgame press conference, a stone-faced Carlisle applauded Indiana's play during the contest's first half, when Indiana led by as many as 28 points, while criticizing the club for letting go of the rope a bit in the third frame.

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Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star was on the scene to capture Carlisle's insights.

Carlisle: "I thought the first half, our level of persistence was good and it was consistent. Things stalled out some in the third quarter. The series is one-seventh over. Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 19, 2025

"I thought the first half, our level of persistence was good and it was consistent," Carlisle said. "Things stalled out some in the third quarter. The series is one-seventh over. Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one."

Per Dopirak, three-time All-Star Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam, who had a terrific two-way showing while matched up against Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, seemed to more or less echo Carlisle's sentiments about the club peaking in the first half.

Siakam: "I think every time you step on the floor, you want to take care of business. I thought our energy was good in the beginning."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 19, 2025

"I think every time you step on the floor, you want to take care of business," Siakam said. "I thought our energy was good in the beginning."

Siakam was a marvel on both ends of the hardwood throughout the contest, even while his fellow Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton struggled to convert from the field.

Pascal Siakam with the steal and splash to force the timeout 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/YNdzCdchkW
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 19, 2025

Across 32:54 of action, Siakam finished with a Pacers-best 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor (3-of-5 from distance) and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. The 6-foot-8 big man out of New Mexico State also notched a game-best +28 plus-minus.

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Indiana outperformed the Bucks in all facets — save one: points in the paint, which Milwaukee won, 40-32. The Pacers enjoyed a 22-5 fastbreak points edge, a 14-3 points off turnovers edge, a 28-15 assist average, and, most critically, a huge edge in 3-point shooting.

The Pacers went 13-of-34 from long range (38.2 percent), while Milwaukee connected on just 9-of-37 from distance (24.3 percent).

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, head on over to Indiana Pacers on SI.