Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – The Milwaukee Bucks won their first
road game in over eight months Tuesday and gave the Indiana Pacers a hint of a
long, arduous season about to come.
Brandon Knight netted a game-high 23 points and Milwaukee picked up a rare
87-81 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Bucks had dropped 16 straight on the road since winning in Philadelphia on
Feb. 24. They also snapped a six-game losing streak to the Pacers and won in
Indiana for the first time in four years.
Seven Bucks scored at least eight points, with Giannis Antetokounmpo netting
11 and Jabari Parker and Jerryd Bayless each chipping in 10 for the victors.
Indiana took all four meetings against its Central Division rivals last season
by an average of 11 points, but a slew of injuries have turned the reigning
No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference into a decidedly less fearsome club.
Chris Copeland scored all but one of his team-high 19 points in the second
half, while Roy Hibbert donated 16 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in
the Pacers’ third straight loss.
Copeland drained a straightaway 3-pointer with 42.5 seconds remaining to pull
Indiana as close as 84-81, but Knight pulled up from just inside the arc at
the other end and drilled a 20-footer.
Rodney Stuckey missed two shots on Indiana’s final possession to seal the
outcome.
Despite facing a defensive stalwart in Hibbert, the Bucks attacked the basket
early and outscored the Pacers 16-0 in the paint in the opening quarter.
Those efforts yielded a 22-19 lead heading into the second, and Milwaukee’s
bench came alive with 15 points during the frame, pushing the margin to 43-38
at halftime.
The Bucks extended the lead after the break by scoring the first 10 points on
two Knight 3-pointers and a pair of Parker jumpers. An Ersan Ilyasova triple
pushed the spread to a game-high 17 at 62-45 midway through the third.
Milwaukee went the next five minutes without scoring, however, and Indiana’s
11-0 run coupled with Lavoy Allen’s putback at the buzzer had the hosts within
69-61.
The rally ultimately fell short thanks in part to five of the Pacers’ 19
turnovers coming in the final 10 minutes.
Game Notes
The Pacers have already lost two home games after losing six all of last
season … Milwaukee’s last win in Indianapolis came on Nov. 5, 2010 … The
Pacers were outscored in the paint, 38-26 … The Bucks shot just seven free
throws while Indiana only made 13 of its 22 attempts.
