Tyrese Haliburton took the bullets to the chest after the Game 5 loss, even though it was the entire Indiana Pacers clan that looked pretty shorthanded when entering Fiserv Forum for Game 5 tonight. They were supposed to emerge victorious. After all, both Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo were out injured on the Bucks’ end. However, the game didn’t go as expected. Instead, they lost 115-92.

Two Pacers in particular can be blamed for this – Khris Middleton and Tyrese Haliburton. Khris Middleton alongside his mates decimated the Pacers with a blowout 92-115 win. Haliburton had a lackluster, off-night where he could only score 16 points with a 6-14 FG. People really banked on him, but only got a major upset in return. After all, he was the driving force behind the Pacers’ domination over the Bucks in the regular season, everyone expected the same from him in the Playoffs too. But he couldn’t deliver.

Speaking of the game at the post-game press conference, he appreciated the efforts of Team Bucks and took the blame for the loss. He said, “Me, myself could be better, getting downhill. Us as a group kinda got a little stagnant… We got to be better, I’ll be better there… Hell of an opportunity in Game 6 back at home.”

On the other hand, the Milwaukee Bucks trio Middleton, Bobby Portis Jr., and Malik Beasley put up 76 points together to shut down the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton appreciated the trio for their relentless run. Moreover, he also added how the mismatches carried out by the Bucks strangled their game and reduced their game’s pace. Haliburton added, “We just got stagnant, stopped making shots, stopped playing our basketball, kinda fell into the way they play their game… They controlled the pace tonight.”

The short-handed Bucks not only forced Game 6 but also created an NBA history. They became the first team to win a playoff game without their top two scorers from the regular season. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks’ offense with 30.4 points per game and Damian Lillard registered 24.4 points. While both superstars ruled out of the game, Middleton held the highest average among the remaining roster with 15.2 points.

The 6 ‘7 small forward responded to his new responsibility with great commitment. So far in the series, he has averaged 26.8 points with a high score of 42 points along with a few instances of clutch plays from the arc. The team would expect a similar grit in the upcoming two games to survive the postseason.

Tyrese Haliburton payback in Game 6?

The rising superstar had an underwhelming night, scoring 16 points with a 6-14 FG. Fans on the internet trolled the star for getting outplayed by Patrick Beverley on the series decider. Pat Bev dropped 13 points with a 4-7 FG and the veteran point took charge as the orchestrator of the game tonight.

He put up 12 assists against his name along with 2 steals and a block. But, Haliburton, who has an average of 9 assists per game, recorded only 6 assists on the crucial game. Nevertheless, the rising superstar had another opportunity to pull the series back in his favor. Notably, this time he has a home-court advantage.

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During the last two home games, the Indianapolis crowd painted the arena in yellow and cheered in unison for their home team. And the Bucks had no chance of silencing them. However, the short-handed Bucks have no other option, other than taking down the Pacers against the 20,000-odd souls screaming at them.

Will Tyrese Haliburton weather the Bucks storm? Let us know in the comments.