by Jordan Morley
Game two of the Indiana Pacers’ current four-game road trip matches them up against a second straight Central Division opponent.
On Wednesday night, the Pacers (13-8) will face the Milwaukee Bucks (16-7) at Fiserv Forum.
Indiana, winners of four straight games, have two victories against the Bucks this season: 126-124 in Indianapolis on Nov. 9 and 128-119 on Dec. 9 in the Semifinals of the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas. Both games came down to the play in the final minutes, with the Pacers coming up clutch down the final stretch in both wins.
The third matchup against the Bucks presents a new challenge for the Blue & Gold, as Milwaukee has won 10 straight at home and is 11-1 at Fiserv Forum this season.
Alternatively, the Pacers have found success on the road this year. Indiana has a 5-3 record away record.
Indiana and Milwaukee can put up points in a hurry, as the Pacers rank first in the NBA in points per game (128.4), and the Bucks are third (122.1).
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has balled out against the Bucks this season, posting stat lines of 29 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds on Nov. 9 and 27 points, 15 assists and seven boards on Dec. 9. Haliburton was named to the All-Tournament Team on Monday for his spectacular play during the inaugural tournament.
Veteran center Myles Turner has also put up strong numbers against the Bucks this season, registering 21 points and six rebounds in the first game and 26 points and 10 boards this past weekend.
For the Bucks, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has put together a pair of solid performances against the Pacers this season, finishing with 54 points and 12 rebounds in game one and 37 points and 10 rebounds in the IST matchup.
Damian Lillard didn’t play in the first matchup, but the seven-time All-Star guard played 42 minutes and had 24 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the game last week.
In both games this season, the Pacers outscored the Bucks by double digits in the paint and won the turnover margins.
The Pacers enter the game coming off a 131-123 win at the Detroit Pistons on Monday while the Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 133-129 in overtime that evening.
Against the Pistons, a team that has now lost 20 games in a row, Bennedict Mathurin scored a season-high 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting while also dishing out eight assists and pulling down seven rebounds. Seven players total scored in double digits for Indiana, and Haliburton had 13 points and 16 assists and Turner logged 23 points and eight boards.
The Bucks had seven players score in double digits, led by 32 from Antetokounmpo and 19 each by Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley, in their overtime win on Monday over Chicago. Bulls forward DeMar Derozan got a basket to go with three seconds left to force extra minutes, but the Bucks didn’t let go of the lead in the additional period.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Bruce Brown, F – Buddy Hield, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Bucks: G – Damian Lillard, G – Malik Beasley, F – Khris Middleton, F – Giannis Antetokounmpo, C – Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard – out (right knee bone bruise), Jalen Smith – out (left knee bone bruise/left heel contusion)
Bucks: Pat Connaughton – out (right ankle sprain), Jae Crowder – out (left adductor surgery), Chris Livingston – out (left ankle sprain)
Last Meeting
Dec. 7, 2023: Beating the Bucks 128-119, the Pacers punched their ticket to the In-Season Tournament Championship game.
Up three with 1:54 left, Tyrese Haliburton took over by scoring five straight points – including a step-back 3-pointer with 50 seconds left – to give the Pacers a 122-114 lead.
In the final 35 seconds, Bruce Brown made a trio of free throws, and Buddy Hield drained two from the charity stripe to seal it.
From the floor, despite shooting a poor 21.2 percent from 3-point, the Pacers shot 49 percent overall while holding the Bucks to 44.8 from the field.
Indiana outrebounded the Bucks 51-46, outscored their opponent 74-60 in the paint and had 23 second-chance points.
Haliburton continued his streak of solid play by finishing with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, while Myles Turner also recorded a double-double by logging 26 points and 10 boards
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the high man for the Bucks, scoring 37 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, Damian Lillard totaled 24 points, and Khris Middleton scored 20.
Noteworthy
- With a victory Wednesday, the Pacers would win their season series against the Bucks for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The teams will play twice more: on New Year’s Day in Milwaukee and two nights later in Indianapolis.
- Pacers backup center Jalen Smith (knee bone bruise, heel contusion) hasn’t played since Nov. 21, and reserve point guard Andrew Nembhard (knee bone bruise) has missed the last two games.
- Myles Turner will move into the top 15 for most career games with the Pacers on Wednesday when he takes the floor. It will be his 515th game played with the Blue & Gold.
- The Pacers loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in the In-Season Tournament Championship did not count toward the teams’ regular season records, so the four-game winning streak stands for Indiana.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com