Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 120-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Brook Lopez added 16 points for Milwaukee, which came from 19 down in the second half. Khris Middleton scored 15 points and Bobby Portis and Gary Trent Jr. each got 14.
Benedict Mathurin led Indiana with 25 points, Pascal Siakam added 20 points and Myles Turner had 16 points and ten rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton scored 12 but struggled, shooting 3-for-13 from the floor.
The first half was not good for the attacking players. The Buckeyes struggled off the field while Indiana struggled financially.
The Pacers went on a short run late in the second to take a 64-53 lead into halftime. Milwaukee shot 4 of 20 from deep as a team in the half.
In the third, Indiana stormed ahead. The Pacers’ 19-11 run to start the second half gave them 19 points, their most of the day. Then four minutes passed without scoring, which opened the door for Milwaukee.
After starting 0-for-9 from the field, Damian Lillard broke through, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers and bringing the Bucks within three going into the fourth quarter at 91-88.
The Buckeyes tied the game at 99 with 7:22 left thanks to Antetokounmpo’s run after a slow start. At that point it was a back-and-forth game until Milwaukee took a 107-104 lead, its first lead since the first quarter.
The shooting of Gary Trent Jr. put the Bucks ahead. The sharpshooter hit three consecutive three-pointers, including one at the end of the shot clock, to give the Bucks a five-point lead with less than two minutes to play.
Antetokounmpo put the game out of reach with jumpers and free throws. He scored 26 of his 30 points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth.
Milwaukee improved to 2-0 against Indiana on the season with two more matchups coming between the division rivals in March.
–Field Level Media
Source link