MILWAUKEE — The Indiana Pacers didn’t just beat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of their playoff series on April 28, 2025. They steamrolled them, 129-103, leaving the TNT “Inside the NBA” crew, led by Charles Barkley, practically yawning at the one-sided massacre. The Bucks, hobbled without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, looked like a team that forgot how to play basketball, and Barkley, never one to mince words, let ‘em have it.
Barkley, slouched in his studio chair, called the game a snooze-fest. He said the Pacers’ dominance was so absolute, so early, that he was bored stiff by the second half. The score wasn’t close after the first quarter, with Indiana’s fast-paced attack slicing through Milwaukee’s defense like a hot knife through butter. Kenny Smith, sitting across the desk, took a jab at Barkley, saying the big man looked ready to nod off mid-broadcast. Barkley didn’t argue. He leaned into the mic and doubled down, saying the game wasn’t even worth watching, a brutal takedown of a Bucks squad that seemed to wave the white flag before halftime.
Ernie Johnson, the crew’s ringmaster, tried to steer the conversation toward analysis, but the vibe was clear: this was a beatdown so lopsided it felt more like an exhibition than a playoff game. Shaquille O’Neal chimed in, pointing out how the Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton’s 24 points and Pascal Siakam’s 20, played with a swagger Milwaukee couldn’t match. The Bucks’ Khris Middleton fought valiantly, dropping 25 points, but it was like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a teaspoon. The Pacers shot 50% from the field, hit 14 threes, and outrebounded Milwaukee by 12, stats that tell the story of a team in complete control.
The crew didn’t hold back on the Bucks’ woes. Without Antetokounmpo, sidelined by a calf injury, and Lillard, out with an Achilles issue, Milwaukee’s roster looked like a shell of its former self. Barkley, who’s been hammering the Bucks’ reliance on their stars all series, said the Pacers smelled blood and pounced. He’d predicted before the series, back on April 22, that this was the biggest moment for Indiana since Reggie Miller’s heyday, and Game 4 proved him right. The Pacers played fearless, running up the score and tying the series 2-2.
Smith broke down the X’s and O’s, noting how Indiana’s pace overwhelmed Milwaukee’s sluggish defense. The Pacers pushed the ball relentlessly, turning turnovers into easy buckets. O’Neal, never one for deep strategy, just laughed and said the Bucks got “smacked upside the head.” Johnson wrapped the segment by highlighting the series’ shift to Indianapolis for Game 5, but the real story was the crew’s blunt verdict: the Bucks got embarrassed, and the Pacers were rolling.
The game, played at Fiserv Forum, drew 17,341 fans, who left disappointed. The series stood even at 2-2, with Game 5 set for April 30 in Indiana.