Siakam, Haliburton help Pacers race past Bucks 117-98 for a 1-0 lead in 1st-round playoff series

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam kept it simple Saturday. He got to his spots, hit his shots and made the plays.

The three-time All-Star finished with 25 points and seven rebounds while Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 for a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round series.

“It's just playing the game the way it's supposed to be played — not a lot of thinking, just play the game,” Siakam said after going 10 of 15 from the field. “I think as long as we play the right way and we get the shots we're supposed to get and we want to get, that's what's important.”

Siakam took full advantage of the festive atmosphere as Indiana hosted its first series opener since 2014.

Team officials handed out gold T-shirts that lit up Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans repeatedly counted the seconds it took for two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to shoot free throws and heckled Bucks forward Bobby Portis. And they roared with delight when WNBA star Caitlin Clark and others appeared on the video board.

But what they wanted — and needed most — was a fast start.

“The series is one-seventh over, and Game 2 will be monumentally more difficult than this one,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, referring to Tuesday's game. “Everybody on our team has got to be armed and dangerous. Striking the right balance is everything for our team.”

The Pacers certainly were balanced.

Myles Turner capped a 19-point, four-block performance with a late 3-pointer to seal the win after Milwaukee had cut a 28-point deficit to 107-95. Six Indiana players finished in double figures and Milwaukee made just one basket over the final 5:24.

It was eerily reminiscent of last year's first-round series, which Indiana won 4-2.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points and 12 rebounds after missing all six games last year because of a calf injury. This time, the Bucks played without their other All-Star, Damian Lillard, who continues to work his way into game shape after battling deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He may return in Game 2.

The difference was defense.

Indiana negated Antetokounmpo’s impact over the final three quarters with traps, double teams and against defenders of all sizes. The result: Antetokounmpo had only one assist and nobody else scored more than 15 points. Plus, the Bucks, who shot a league-best 38.7% on 3-pointers, were limited to just 2 of 16 in the first half and finished 9 of 37.

But Antetokounmpo also took issue with Milwaukee's defense.

“I think we were late, like we got into scrambling mode and they would create for the next guy and that's what they want you to do,” he said. “We didn't have enough urgency. Going into Game 2, hopefully we can change that.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner (33) heads to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo defends during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) looks to pass as Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell (9) and Pascal Siakam defend during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam, left, is stopped by Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Green during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Kevin Porter Jr. (3) and Indiana Pacers' Obi Toppin Cheerleaders perform during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, heads to the basket as Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam defends during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) heads to the basket as Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam (43) defends during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez (11) heads to the basket past Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner (33) during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton (0) looks to pass as Milwaukee Bucks' Kevin Porter Jr. (3) defends during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez (11) reaches for a loose ball along with Indiana Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin (00) and Myles Turner, right, during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell (9) heads to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks' Kevin Porter Jr., left, and AJ Green, right, defend during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) collides with Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Kevin Porter Jr. (3) passes as Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith (23) watches during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, tries to keep control of the ball as Indiana Pacers' Aaron Nesmith, right, defends during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) heads to the basket as Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner (33) and Pascal Siakam (43) defend during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reaches for a rebound during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game against the Indiana Pacers, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles as Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam defends during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives past Milwaukee Bucks' Ryan Rollins during the first half of a first-round NBA basketball playoff game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

When NBC carried the Kentucky Derby for the first time in 2001, the broadcast lasted only 90 minutes.

On Saturday, when it carries the Run for the Roses for the 25th time, 90 minutes wouldn’t be enough for all the feature stories that will run leading up to post time.

NBC Sports will present 12 1/2 hours of coverage across two days on NBC, USA Network and Peacock. There will be five hours for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks on USA Network and Peacock. Saturday’s coverage begins on USA Network at noon ET before moving to NBC at 2:30 p.m. while Peacock will stream all 7 1/2 hours.

“So much has changed since we first started in 2001. At that time, we thought 90 minutes to cover a two-minute race. How are we going to fill all this time? Now we are still trying to figure out how we’re going to get this story in and that story in because there are so many great stories to tell,” said Donna Brothers, the only member of the broadcast team involved with all 25 Derbys on NBC.

NBC has done five hours of coverage on the main network on Derby Day since 2018. Sam Flood, the executive producer and president of NBC Sports Production, said the true evolution behind adding more hours while making the coverage appeal to a cross-section of viewers began after he produced his first Derby in 2006.

“I remember getting done with the show, which I think was two hours. I kept thinking, we can do so much more,” Flood said. “There are so many assets here that should be showcased, and that’s when we started blowing it out, adding more hours and slowly shifting more and more hours on to NBC and off the cable platforms.”

The expansion has also included the Kentucky Oaks. It started airing on Bravo in 2009 before moving to the NBC Sports Network and then USA Network.

The Derby broadcast has evolved into one of the most diverse sports events that NBC does yearly and is on par with the Olympics, which it carries once every two years, and the Super Bowl, which it has once every four years.

It also might be the only place where a viewer can see fashion, recipes from one of the hosts of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and race predictions from NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki.

Mike Tirico, the host of NBC’s coverage since 2017, said doing the Derby served as good preparation for hosting the Olympics as well as a stint as a guest host on the “Today” show last week.

“My time doing the Derby helped me to do the ‘Today’ show last week, not vice versa,” he said. “This show is so cool. It goes from speed figures to fascinators. It goes from betting to bourbon. We cover it all in the five hours with a great team of people who dive in and take their space and own it. We all build towards the race. The audience does the same.”

Tirico succeeded Tom Hammond as host. Hammond, a University of Kentucky graduate, was a guiding force around NBC’s early coverage and introducing the sport’s most prominent personalities to viewers.

Lindsay Schanzer, the supervising producer of NBC’s coverage, said one of the advantages of having nearly 4 1/2 hours leading up to post time at 6:57 p.m. ET is the chance to focus on the stories of the 20 horses that will line up in the starting gate.

Among the stories planned are the return of trainer Bob Baffert — who served a three-year suspension after Medina Spirit failed a drug test — 89-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas and Michael McCarthy, the trainer of prerace favorite Journalism, whose family was displaced from home in Southern California due to the wildfires.

Because of the many different topics in the broadcast, Schanzer has an interesting approach in how she books the coverage with what she calls a colors document, where each element of coverage has its own color.

“I like to look at it from a broad perspective to make sure there’s not too much of one color in one area, and every color is kind of represented across the show so that if you’re watching it, you’re getting a little bit of a taste of everything,” she said. “One color could be a fashion element, one could be Kornacki’s insights, one could be an interview with a horseman. I try to look at it in a holistic way like that.”

The approach has certainly worked. Last year’s broadcast averaged 16.7 million viewers, the largest Derby audience since 1989. That included an average minute audience of 714,000 streaming on Peacock.

Overall, 11 of the past 15 Derbies held in May have averaged at least 15 million.

“We’ve had all kinds of things happen (since 2001), and that’s what’s so unique about the sport, but specifically about the Derby,” said Jon Miller, NBC Sports president of acquisitions and partnerships. “You have 20 horses that come into that gate and long shots that can pull off the upset. You have favorites, you have great ownership stories, and you have legendary trainers. Who knows who is going to surprise this year? But that’s what’s great about it.”

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing and Derby coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/kentucky-derby

Horses workout at Churchill Downs Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)