MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks, without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left calf strain) and Damian Lillard (right Achilles strain), avoided elimination Tuesday night, defeating the Indiana Pacers 115-92 in Game 5 of their first-round series.
Milwaukee now trails 3-2 in the series, with Game 6 on Thursday.
With scoring opportunities abound and a short bench, Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton took advantage, each scoring 29 points for Milwaukee in the Game 5 win. The Bucks defied the odds, as teams in the postseason missing their top two scorers from the regular season had been 0-13, according to ESPN Stats & Information, including a Bucks loss in Game 4.
Antetokounmpo has not played in Milwaukee’s first-round series after he strained his left soleus muscle three weeks ago during a game against the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo ran on the court during a workout Sunday morning for the first time since the injury, which went well, according to Bucks coach Doc Rivers. However, leading up to Tuesday’s game, Rivers said Antetokounmpo did not do much on the court.
“Did some shooting,” Rivers said before Tuesday’s game. “Did more after I left, so I didn’t really see it.”
Lillard was on the floor at Fiserv Forum during his usual warmup time Tuesday morning, putting up some shots and moving around the court slowly. He shed the walking boot he wore on his right foot following Game 3, when he re-agitated the injury in the fourth quarter, but Rivers said Lillard did not go through a full workout Tuesday.
