Grades: Pacers can’t contain Giannis, lose to Bucks

The Indiana Pacers looked to avenge their recent loss to the Greek Freak and the Bucks, but they came up short on the road.

Hey, so, it turns out trying to contain a guy who can pretty effortlessly put up 29 points and 12 rebounds is a hard task. Giannis Antetokounmpo played sensationally and the Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers in Milwaukee.

The first time these two teams played in Milwaukee back in October, the Bucks won 118-101, so I think we have a pretty good grasp of how much better the Bucks are than the Pacers away from Indy.

The answer is a lot. Even outside of Giannis, the Bucks got contributions from their other All-Star, Khris Middleton, as well as sporadic offerings from a slew of other players. They are really deep and really good, and with the injuries the Pacers have, Indy had little chance.

There were some bright spots. Myles Turner played very well, dropping 22 points and tying his career high with 17 rebounds. He added 3 assists and 3 blocks with it. He was incredibly impactful, knocking down outside shots and playing great defense all night long.

A bunch of other guys played decent games, but nobody else played well enough to keep the Pacers in the game. Credit the Bucks defense for shutting everyone down.

The Greek Freak is a…freak

Giannis Antetokounmpo has the perfect nickname. He is a literal freak on the basketball court. He can reach the rim from areas that other players can’t. His strength lets him explode through barriers that nobody else can. He athleticism allows him to get to places faster than anyone else.

Put it all together, and you have an unguardable machine. Giannis was unreal. He has a great MVP candidacy.

Missing Sabonis

Beyond the bench having trouble scoring the ball without Sabonis, tonight it was clear that the Pacers missed him on the glass.

Turner did his part with 17, but nobody else finished with more than 5 rebounds, and the Pacers lost the battle on the boards 52-40. They lost the battle on the offensive glass, too. The extra possessions helped the Bucks a ton.

Tyreke is broken

Tyreke Evans is 6/31 shooting the ball in his last 5 games. Having no Sabonis hurts him, but it shouldn’t hurt him this bad. He’s been atrocious, and the Pacers need more. If this continues, you might have to turn to Aaron Holiday.

Grades time:

The Pacers continue their run through the brutal March schedule on Sunday in Philly against the 76ers.