Gary Trent Jr. looks to ride the momentum of tying a single-game franchise playoff record for made 3-pointers when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Trent sank nine shots from beyond the arc and matched Giannis Antetokounmpo with 37 points as the Bucks halved their series deficit with a 117-101 victory over Indiana on Friday.
“They’re not going away,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said of the Pacers, who hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“… We just can’t relent. We’ve won one game. I guess you can make a case after three games, this is the closest the series can possibly be. If you guys know your math, you can figure that one out on your own. So, nothing’s happened yet. We got to do it again.”
Trent made the most of his spot start in place of Taurean Prince by matching Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s franchise playoff mark and his own playoff scoring high.
“It’s really a blessing,” Trent said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “A testament to my hard work and everything I put into it.”
“Big fan of Ray Allen as a kid. Watched him accomplish great things as a Buck, as a Celtic. I just followed his career. The way he shot the basketball. So, to be a name in that group, around him or near him as a shooter is a great thing. A blessing.”
While Antetokounmpo is averaging a robust 35.7 points and 14.0 rebounds per game in the series, the Bucks anxiously are waiting for Damian Lillard to get reacclimated. Lillard finished with just seven points and made just 1-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc, however he contributed at the other end with two steals and two blocks.
“I’ve played in enough playoff games where I understand that it’s about finding a way to win,” Lillard said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Lillard is struggling to find his game after missing a month while battling deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
“Having so much time off, sometimes your rhythm and your timing, things can feel good but it’s a work in progress,” he said. “It’s just a mental battle. You got to keep finding a way to impact the game. That was my focus was to help find a way to win.”
The Bucks benefited from a lopsided third quarter in which they outscored the Pacers by a 39-18 margin.
“A game can turn very quickly in the playoffs,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “And in the third quarter, some mistakes at both ends at the wrong time ignited their run. We’ve got to eliminate those.”
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the floor, and Aaron Nesmith contributed 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Tyrese Haliburton served as the lone other Indiana starter in double figures with 14 points, although a few of those baskets came with the game well in hand.
“I feel like we’ve just got to do a better job getting downhill and staying aggressive,” Haliburton said. “I think any time you get to the paint and they rotate, I like our chances.
“We’ve got to do a better job of playing downhill, playing faster, and that starts with me. I’ve got to be better. I’ll be better in Game 4.”
