Dominant second half leads Indiana Pacers over Milwaukee Bucks for fifth-straight win

The Pacers and Bucks played for the fifth time this season on Wednesday

The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks faced off for the fifth and final time of the 2023-24 regular season on Wednesday night. They played all five games in a 55 day period, so these two teams were very familiar with each other.

That, combined with some heated moments in recent games, led to some added emotions for both squads entering the night. Staying composed and setting the tone early was going to be important in a game that could end up being physical and challenging.

Indiana was the better team early. During the first four minutes of action, they attacked the paint over and over, scoring at the rim several times. They knocked down three shots on their first three possessions to take a 6-0 lead and were up 13-10 after a quartet of minutes.

The Bucks eventually tightened up on defense, and it was enough for them to climb into the lead just after the six-minute mark passed in the first frame. They looked effective on both ends.

But the Pacers had answers. Bennedict Mathurin checked in and scored five relatively quick points to get his team back into the lead, and the game settled into a back-and-forth duel. Milwaukee took a timeout with 3:13 to go in the first quarter, and they trailed 23-22 at the time.

Similar to Monday's game between the two teams, the Pacers bench changed the energy of the game. They were clicking down the stretch of the opening period and ballooned the lead a bit. But the Bucks responded in the final minute of the quarter and trimmed the lead to two. It was 33-31 Pacers after 12 minutes. Jalen Smith led Indiana with seven points. Isaiah Jackson and Mathurin both played well.

The score remained close early in the second period. Both teams were shooting above 50% from the field for the first 15+ minutes of action, so stops were hard to come by.

Milwaukee broke that trend and managed to stop the Pacers a few times in a row near the middle of the quarter. They capitalized and took a four-point lead, their biggest of the game at the time. Buddy Hield was really struggling for the blue and gold.

At that point, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout. He brought a few starters back in, and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton immediately hit a floater to close the scoreboard gap somewhat. He's been fantastic of late.

Obi Toppin made a few big plays and tough shots at the rim to cut the Bucks' advantage down to one, and that prompted a timeout from Milwaukee head coach Adrian Griffin. It was 50-49 with five minutes left until halftime.

Coming out of the timeout, Aaron Nesmith threw down a transition dunk that gave Indiana a lead again. The home team had momentum again after a rough stretch in the middle of the quarter.

They weren't able to capitalize on that momentum as the Bucks quickly grabbed the lead again, but Indiana did well to keep it close. They tied the game up with about 90 seconds left in the half and were down just two points at the break. It was 68-66, and Toppin led the Pacers with 12 points going into halftime.

The second half started with two buckets for the Pacers, who regained the lead quickly. While it was unlikely that they were going to hold it for a significant amount of time given how the game had gone to that point, they showed that they were going to be tough to beat once again. Their energy was excellent to start the third frame.

Milwaukee promptly tied the game, but Indiana rapidly surged ahead with a 10-2 run. Bruce Brown and Haliburton made a few tough shots near the basket, and the Bucks couldn't answer. They called a timeout down by eight to regroup.

The stoppage didn't help. Indiana ballooned their lead up to 13 after a few more baskets and got the crowd into the game. It was the largest lead of the night to that point, and the Pacers appeared to be rolling.

Milwaukee chipped into that advantage, but Indiana got it back to 13 with 5:53 to go in the third period. The Bucks couldn't stop the Pacers and weren't able to trim the deficit, but they are capable of a big run at any moment.

They did get the margin down to nine a few times, but the Pacers answered and were up 13 again late in the frame. Indiana played a great third quarter and rarely dipped below a high level of play.

They were up 16 at the end of the period. Mathurin hit a three just before the buzzer of the quarter. There was a slight increase in physicality as the third quarter wound down, so the final minutes were going to be fascinating. Six players on the Pacers had between 12 and 16 points entering the final frame.

The fourth period opened with cold shooting from both teams, with only one shot dropping for the first two minutes. But the Pacers exploded after that cold start. Hield drilled a corner three before throwing an alley-oop off the backboard to Jackson shortly after. Indiana took an 18-point lead and had a lively crowd behind them at that point.

With 8:41 to go in the final quarter, the first big dust up of the game happened. Giannis Antetokounmpo was fouled on a drive, the Pacers and Bucks got into a huddled shouting match under the Bucks basket. Jackson tried to hype up the crowd after the scrum.

And we have another scuffle after Giannis is fouled on a drive. Isaiah Jackson exits the scrum and lifts his arms to hype up the crowd. Giannis and Buddy chatting at the end of it all. pic.twitter.com/J2cEUlWBz9

— Tony East (@TonyREast) January 4, 2024

Toppin and Andre Jackson Jr were called for technical fouls as a result of the incident. Antetokounmpo hit both free throws, but Haliburton answered with a four-point play to re-acquire momentum. The Pacers were up 18 at the time.

They rode their momentum, and their big lead, to a comfortable next few minutes. Indiana was ahead by 13 points with five minutes to go. They had nearly closed things out.

They still needed to play well down the stretch, though, and they didn't for the next minute of action. With 3:59 left in the game, Indiana's lead was down to 10 at 128-118. Their energy was gone after multiple long stoppages and reviews.

Carlisle took a timeout at that point, and the stoppage got his team back on track. Haliburton scored five points on the next two possessions to put Indiana back up by 15, and the game was close to wrapped up.

Haliburton ended things. With about two minutes to go, he drilled a three on one possession before firing a behind-the-back pass to Turner for a three on the next one. That put Indiana up by 17 with 1:56 to go. They were going to win.

The final score was 142-130. Haliburton was brilliant and finished with 31 points and 12 assists. Mathurin added 16 points himself.

Indiana finished the season series with a 4-1 record against Milwaukee. The Pacers are now on a five-game winning streak and sit at 19-14. They next play on Friday when they host the Atlanta Hawks.

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