National Basketball Association
Indiana 104, Milwaukee 99
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Officials:
#27 Mitchell Ervin, #36 David Jones, #9 Derrick Stafford
Attendance:
14263
By The Sports Xchange
MILWAUKEE -- The Indiana Pacers were in complete control Wednesday night, almost from the opening tip, yet, they still had to sweat out a nervous final minute before finally shutting the door on the Milwaukee Bucks and snapping a three-game losing streak with a 104-99 victory at the Bradley Center.
All five Pacers starters scored in double figures. Paul George finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Ian Mahinmi, Monte Ellis and George Hill each added 10.
But it was the Pacers' bench, specifically backup center Jordan Hill and Rodney Stuckey, who delivered daggers against the Bucks.
Hill led Indiana with 19 points, hitting 8 of 12 shots, and added seven rebounds in 23 minutes of work. Stuckey also came up big in a reserve role, scoring 12 of his 15 points in the final quarter.
"We knew this was a must-win game for us," Stuckey said. "This road trip is not going to get any easier. We go to Charlotte, who already beat us twice. Then we go to back to D.C., who demolished us too as well last time we played them at home. This was a must-win game. We didn't want to go down losing four. "
With the game tied at 22 after one quarter, the Pacers opened the second on an 11-3 run and led by as many as 12 before taking a 10-point lead into halftime. Indiana hit 11 of 23 shots in the quarter.
"They were the group that kind of helped us get out in front of this team," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said of his reserves. "We are a deep team and those guys stepped up."
Indiana was also dominant on the boards, out-rebounding Milwaukee 15-8 in the first half, with a 6-1 advantage on the offensive end.
The Pacers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds for the game and while they only managed six points off of them, the rebounding created just enough of a cushion.
"We got lucky," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "They only got six points. It could have been a lot worse."
Milwaukee finally showed signs of life in the fourth quarter. Greg Monroe scored 11 of his 16 points in the first six minutes of the final quarter, but the Bucks still couldn't get any closer than seven.
Looking for defensive help, Kidd replaced Monroe with Miles Plumlee down the stretch. The move paid off, as the Bucks battled back and cut the lead to three when reserve guard Jerryd Bayless converted a three-point play with 16.4 seconds left.
Milwaukee caught a break when George missed a pair of free throws on the other end. A quick timeout got the ball into the hands of Khris Middleton, but his attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer hit iron.
"We finally woke up in the fourth quarter and made a game of it," Kidd said. "We had an opportunity to get a tie. Khris had a good look."
Two free throws from Solomon Hill put Indiana up five and George closed it out by swatting away a final shot from Middleton with 2.3 seconds remaining.
"He stayed right with their best shooter, got right under his chin, didn't foul him," Vogel said.
Middleton finished with 23 to lead Milwaukee.
"We fought back," Middleton said. "We kept making runs all game. We just couldn't get over the hump."
The victory allowed Indiana (32-29) to take a half-game lead over Detroit for the seventh playoff spot in the East.
"It is a 48-minute game," Vogel said. "You get a lead, they are going to make a run. We have to hold them off better but the important thing is we got a much needed road victory."
Milwaukee has dropped three of its last four and sits 12th in the conference, six games behind the eighth-seeded Pistons.
NOTES: Patellar tendinitis in the left knee sidelined Bucks PG Michael Carter-Williams for a second straight game. He was a last-minute scratch on Monday and was unable to take part in practice on Tuesday. Coach Jason Kidd hopes to get Carter-Williams back "in the next day or so." ... Pacers SF C.J. Miles did not travel with the team to Milwaukee and missed his sixth consecutive game with a strained left calf. ... Bucks F Jabari Parker scored 18 points Wednesday and is averaging 22.1 points with 7.4 rebounds in seven games since the All-Star break.
Top Game Performances
Indiana |
|
Milwaukee |
Jordan Hill 19 |
Scoring |
Khris Middleton 23 |
Monta Ellis 6 |
Assists |
Jerryd Bayless 5 |
Paul George 10 |
Rebounds |
Greg Monroe 7 |
Jordan Hill 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 8 |
Monta Ellis 2 |
Steals |
Khris Middleton 2 |
Ian Mahinmi 3 |
Blocks |
Giannis Antetokounmpo 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Indiana
|
104 |
47.5 |
10-20 |
18-26 |
28 |
49 |
6 |
7 |
16 |
Milwaukee
|
99 |
44.7 |
3-14 |
28-32 |
14 |
37 |
1 |
8 |
13 |
Upcoming Games
-
Milwaukee will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Bucks have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .417 after a loss.
-
Indiana will play their next game on the road against Charlotte. The Pacers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .552 after a loss.