Antetokounmpo scores 31 as Bucks beat Pacers

[January 04, 2018]  Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, Khris Middleton added 27 and the Milwaukee Bucks extended the Indiana Pacers' losing streak to five games with a 122-101 victory Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.

Antetokounmpo and Middleton combined to hit 21 of 32 shots, with Middleton knocking down 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Overall, the Bucks shot 58.7 percent from the field and were 9-for-17 from distance as they scored 100 points or more for the 19th time in their last 20 games and hit the 120-point mark for the third time this season.

Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon had big nights off the bench for Milwaukee, combining for 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Brogdon added five assists while Maker grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot in 22 minutes of work.

Matthew Dellavedova finished with eight points but dished out nine assists, marking his third consecutive game with nine or more assists, and the Bucks set a season-high with 33 assists on 44 makes.

Indiana fell to 0-6 on the season without leading scorer Victor Oladipo, who missed a fourth straight game because of soreness in his left knee.

Domantas Sabonis made 10 of 13 shots and led Indiana with 24 points. Darren Collinson had 17 and Lance Stephenson added 15 with seven rebounds and five assists for the Pacers, who shot 48.8 percent but were just 3-for-15 on 3-point attempts.

 

Indiana Pacers guard Darren Collison (2) shoots during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Antetokounmpo hit 8 of 11 shots and scored 21 points in the first half as Milwaukee only hit 2 of 3 3-pointers but shot 62 percent from the floor to go into halftime with a 62-52 lead.

The Bucks held Indiana to 21 points in the third while stretching their lead to 17 to open the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo spent all of the final period on the bench but that wasn't enough to help the Pacers, who fell behind by 23 with six minutes to play.

With the loss, Indiana fell to .500 (19-19) but still holds a one-game lead over Philadelphia for the eighth place in the East. Milwaukee (20-16) began the day sixth in the conference, holding a tiebreaker over Miami.

--Field Level Media

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