Rapid Recap: Bucks 141, Pacers 131

Jan 28, 2023 - 2:26 AM

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The Milwaukee Bucks walk away victorious against the Indiana Pacers in the latest entry of the Motorola Jersey Sponsorship Bowl, 141-131.

NBA.com Box Score

Pat and Giannis bullied the Pacers from inside and outside early (choosing to forget the near Giannis airball three). The supporting cast chipped in as the period went along and a 9-16 performance from deep led to the 45-30 lead. It threatened to become a slaughter from there. Khris Middleton looked the best he has all season, fluid in attack and hitting a handful of jumpers. Milwaukee would gradually increase the lead, bursting to a 30 point gap as a lineup of Jrue-Pat-Khris-Joe-Brook really started clicking late. Bucks up 85-56 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Pacers legged it out with full-court defensive pressure and the Bucks obliged with a number of lazy turnovers allowing Indy to reel Milwaukee back in, 114-99. The Bucks continued to look out of sorts, then this dork showed up...

The Pacers resorted to hack-a-Giannis with under four minutes to claw their way into single digits, but Giannis hung in there and sunk 5-6 FTs when intentionally fouled. Indy finally ran out of steam, and Milwaukee wins, 141-131.

Stat That Stood Out

85. That’s the most points the Bucks have scored in a half all season (breaking the 83 point record they set earlier this week against Detroit). The Pacers struggled to decide what defensive strategy would work best against Bucks lineups that could punish them inside, fall back on mid-range shotmaking (courtesy of Khris), and was also hot from deep. Milwaukee hit 33-53 from the floor, 13-25 from three, 19 assists, and 34 rebounds compared to Indy’s 17 rebounds.