When the Bucks closed the Pacers’ lead to six points in the fourth quarter, Myles Turner took control with a one-man 8-0 run to crush Milwaukee’s hopes.
Turner hit seven of his nine three-point attempts, hitting two back-to-back to give the Pacers a comfortable 14-point cushion with 7:27 to go. It was his second straight game with 29 points as the 28-year-old center tied his career playoff high.
He had to match a 27-point effort from Milwaukee’s own sweet shooting big man, Brook Lopez, who shot 12 for 18 with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo both out injured. His own three-pointer got the Bucks within six before Turner’s explosion.
Not only did Turner outshoot Lopez, he threw down an emphatic dunk right in Lopez’s face in the third quarter.
Indiana set a team record with 22 three-pointers in the game, with seven different players scoring from deep. Tyrese Haliburton hit five threes while Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard hit three. But it was Turner’s name that the Indiana crowd chanted repeatedly during his big night. While he’s periodically been in trade rumors, Turner and the city of Indianapolis have a special bond.
They’ll have an even deeper bond if the Pacers can put away the Bucks and win their first playoff series in a decade. Turner is ready for the challenge.