The Milwaukee Bucks and the visiting Indiana Pacers begin the new year on Monday night in a rivalry that has provided many entertaining highlights already this season.
The Bucks are back home after a four-game road trip, most recently defeating the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday by a 119-111 final.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and grabbed 16 boards while Damian Lillard added 31 points and Malik Beasley 15.
“We started off a little rocky in the first half, but I loved how we responded,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “Our defense really carried us a couple of those quarters. Did a great job of hanging tough.”
Indiana last played on Saturday, taking down the New York Knicks at home 140-126 for their third consecutive victory.
Myles Turner led the team with 28 points while Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 while dishing 23 assists, tying a franchise record and becoming just the third NBA player ever with consecutive 20-point, 20-assist games.
“His offensive level is beyond elite,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s put a lot of work in the past two summers on reads, being able to create rim pressure, to increase his range. Teams are in a real bind. He causes major problems.”
Haliburton leads Indiana by averaging 24.6 points and an NBA-best 12.8 assists per game. Turner makes an impact down low, averaging 17.7 points with team-highs at 7.5 boards and 2.2 blocks per game.
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with his 30.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Lillard dishes just under seven assists per night, and Brook Lopez is second in the NBA with his average of three blocks a game.
On the injury front, both teams are relatively clear. Milwaukee’s Jae Crowder continues to miss time with his abdominal tear, and Bruce Brown missed Saturday’s game for the Pacers with a knee injury. Brown’s status for Monday has yet to be announced.
These teams have met three times this season with each game providing plenty of entertainment.
Indiana and Milwaukee are the top two offensive teams in the NBA in points per game (126.6 and 125, respectively) and offensive rating (122.3 and 121, respectively).
Host Indiana won 126-124 on Nov. 9 despite 54 points from Antetokounmpo. The Pacers were then victorious in the in-season tournament semifinals in Las Vegas 128-119 on Dec. 7, before host Milwaukee bounced back by winning 140-126 on Dec. 13 thanks to a franchise-record 64 points from Antetokounmpo.
That game made headlines not only for Antetokounmpo’s performance, but for the theatrics afterward. The Bucks star sprinted into the Pacers’ tunnel going after what he believed to be the game ball, causing a shoving match after what was already a game filled with tension.
Monday’s game is the start of a back-to-back between these rivals, with their fifth and final matchup of the season taking place in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Monday is also another opportunity for Indiana to clinch the season series victory against Milwaukee, which is something the Pacers have not done since the 2017-18 season when they won three of four.
–Field Level Media