This picture sums up how the Indiana Pacers today dominated the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
At the beginning of the game, it seemed as if the Bucks would keep up their winning ways against the Pacers. They won with relative ease in both of the most recent competitions. The first quarter ended with Milwaukee down by 40 points, giving them an early advantage of more than ten. Joe Ingles waxed hot from beyond the arc, while Antetokounmpo set the tone with numerous baskets in the paint to start the game.
Even after such a quick start and suffering injuries to many important players, the Pacers could stay pace with the Bucks and entered the halftime break just seven points down. Indiana’s first-half performance was a warmup for an impressive surge in the third quarter.
The score was tied at 101 going into the fourth quarter after the Pacers scored 49 points during the third period of play. During the halfway break, the Pacers were led by Andrew Nembhard and former Buck Jordan Nwora, who rediscovered their shooting range. After that, Indiana tightened their grip on Milwaukee in the fourth quarter, holding the Bucks to only 22 points in the game’s final frame. The Pacers were able to pull away and pull off the shock, thanks to their strong defensive performance.
In the game, Nembhard was the leading scorer for the Pacers with 24 points, and he made four three-point shots. Buddy Hield supported him by scoring 20 points and making three 3-point shots. Nwora had a good game against his previous squad, scoring 12 points and eight rebounds. The game was close throughout, with five additional players from Indiana reaching double digits in scoring.
Antetokounmpo scored the most points for the Bucks with 25.
