Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers
Source: Dylan Buell / Getty
(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – Giannis Antetokounmpo’s buzzer beater pushes the Milwaukee Bucks (5-2) to a 117-115 win over the Indiana Pacers (1-6) on Monday night.
1. First Quarter
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
For the third consecutive game, Indiana’s starters were Quenton Jackon, Aaron Nesmith, Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, and Isaiah Jackson. Milwaukee scored the first three points of the game and then Indiana would eventually take a brief one-point lead. The Bucks then went ahead by ten with a 13-2 run, jump started with a Myler Turner three-pointer. Indiana’s biggest deficit in the opening period was eleven points with 5:16 left in the quarter following a Gary Trent Jr. triple. The Pacers attempted to chip away at their deficit but were just struggling to put the ball in the basket. Milwaukee’s lead at the end of the first quarter over Indiana was 31-22. Pascal Siakam and Giannis Antetokounmpo led all players in scoring with 8 points in the quarter. Myles Turner scored 7 points and blocked 3 shots in the opening quarter. As a team, Indiana shot 32% from the field, 1/7 (14.3%) from three-point range, and 5/6 at the foul line. Milwaukee shot 42.9% from the field, 5/13 (38.5%) from downtown, and 8/13 (61.5%) at the free-throw line.
2. Second Quarter
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
Indiana’s offense was much better in the second quarter in comparison to the first quarter. The Pacers just started slowly chipping away at the Bucks lead because of its defense. Four minutes into the quarter, Indiana was down one point following two free throws from Aaron Nesmith. From there on out, it was a back-and-forth game between the two teams. Indiana took a lead 6:09 left in the half when Ben Sheppard drilled his first three in a week. Indiana’s biggest lead in the quarter would be five points with 3:56 remaining in the half after a Siakam bank shot to make it 47-42. Milwaukee countered with a 9-0 run to go back ahead by four points. At halftime, Milwaukee’s advantage was 56-53 behind Antetokounmpo’s 19 points (13 in the second quarter) and 8 rebounds. Indiana’s leader was Siakam with 14 points followed by Isaiah Jackson with 13 points. As a team, Indiana’s numbers were still not great at halftime. The Pacers shot 34% from the field, 3/18 (16.7%) from the arc, and 18/23 (78.3%) at the free throw line. As for Milwaukee, 45.5% from the field, 7/22 (31.8%) from downtown, and 9/14 (64.3%) on free throws.
3. Third Quarter
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
The first handful of minutes of the second half were very similar to the last few minutes of the first half until Milwaukee went on an 8-0 run in less than 90 seconds. With 6:38 left in the quarter, Milwaukee was ahead 70-61 after an Antetokounmpo dunk. Ryan Rollins gave the Bucks their only double figure lead of the quarter when he splashed a three with 4:22 remaining in the quarter, making it a 76-66 ballgame. Indiana held Milwaukee to two points over the next three minutes, allowing the Pacers to trim their deficit down to a point when Tony Bradley made two foul shots. However, the Bucks connected on two three-pointers to end the quarter on top 84-77. In the quarter, Milwaukee went 6/12 from downtown compared to Indiana’s 1/6. Antetokounmpo added nine more points to his total, bringing it up to 28 points after three quarters. Pascal Siakam was the team’s leading scorer with 7 points in the period and through three quarters with 21 points. Isaiah Jackson was having a solid game too, recording 14 points and 9 rebounds with a quarter left.
4. Fourth Quarter
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
The start of the final quarter was dicey for the Indiana Pacers because Milwaukee could not miss from three-point range. With 7:11 left in the game, Bobby Portis knocked down a three-pointer to put the Bucks ahead by a dozen points. Even with 6:08 left in the game, Milwaukee was still leading by eleven points. It was nearly identical to the Golden State game on Saturday night. Jarace Walker then started making an impact on the game with a three-pointer, an assist leading to a three-point play, and another assist on an Isaiah Jackson dunk. With 3:49 remaining, Indiana was down 109-106. Siakam would go to the line on the following Pacers possession and only made one of the two. Indiana got another stop defensively, resulting in the run extending to 11-0 to tie the game at 109 after a Siakam layup because he beat Myles Turner off the dribble. The former Pacer, Myles Turner, broke the tie with a putback off a missed three from Cole Anthony and then Gary Trent Jr. drilled a three-pointer on the following possession to put the Bucks on top by five points with less than two minutes to go. Indiana still didn’t quit despite the odds being against them. AJ Green went 1/2 at the foul line with 28.9 seconds left, giving the Pacers a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Milwaukee gave up a straight-line drive to the basket and Nesmith laid the ball in to tie the game at 115 with 14.6 seconds left. Milwaukee called a timeout and drew up a play for Antetokounmpo, and he delivered with a fadeaway jump shot over Pascal Siakam and Isaiah Jackson to win it for the Bucks.
5. Top Performers
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
Giannis Antetokounmpo (33p, 13r, 5a, 2s), Kyle Kuzma (15p, 5r), AJ Green (13p), Gary Trent Jr. (11p, 2r, 2a), Cole Anthony (11p, 4r, 4a), and Ryan Rollins (10p, 7a, 5r). For Indiana, Pascal Siakam (32p, 8a, 5r, 3s), Isaiah Jackson (21p, 10r), Jarace Walker (18p, 8r, 5a), and Aaron Nesmith (17p, 7r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.
6. Notes
Milwaukee Bucks v Indiana Pacers Source:Getty
Indiana is now 1-4 in clutch games this season
Indiana has yet to shoot 45% in a game this season, Indiana did that 66 times last season
Indiana’s 115 points are the most points scored in a game since scoring 135 against Oklahoma City in the season opener
Milwaukee made a season high 20 threes in the winAlso, most threes the Pacers have allowed in a game this season
Ben Sheppard snapped a streak of 15 consecutive missed three-pointersFirst made three since second game of the season at Memphis (October 25th, 2025)
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 5th game with 30+ points on the season
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 5th double-double of the season
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game winning shot was the second buzzer beater of his career and first since January 4th, 2017
Isaiah Jackson recorded a season high 21 pointsFirst game with 20+ points since December 15th, 2023
Isaiah Jackson has now scored 20+ points in 3 games in his career
Isaiah Jackson recorded his 2nd game of the season with 10+ rebounds
Isaiah Jackson recorded his first double-double of the seasonFirst double-double since March 20th, 2024
Jarace Walker’s 5 assists tied a season high for the third time this season
Johnny Furphy left the game in the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury
Myles Turner recorded a season high 5 blocks
Pascal Siakam has scored 25+ points in 5 games this season
Pascal Siakam has scored 30+ points in 3 games this seasonSiakam recorded 4 games with 30+ points last season
Pascal Siakam’s 3 steals tied a season high
Pascal Siakam tied his season high in assists with 8
Quenton Jackson left the game in the third quarter with right hamstring soreness and did not returnSame hamstring that sidelined him the first two games of the season
Ryan Rollins recorded a season & career high 7 turnovers
7. Next Up
Atlanta Hawks v Brooklyn Nets Source:Getty
Indiana’s homestand will conclude on Wednesday when the Brooklyn Nets visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7pm. Mark Boyle, Eddie Gill, and Pat Boylan will get things started at 6:30pm with the pregame show and Eddie White will have the reaction with the Bet 365 Overtime Show after the game on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.