Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists before fouling out in a 126-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
The Bucks (38-28) secured a one-game lead over the Pacers (37-29) for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, strengthening their bid for home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Milwaukee built a commanding 105-84 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Indiana stormed back. Andrew Nembhard’s three-pointer with 12.5 seconds left cut the deficit to 122-119, capping a 35-12 run.
Taurean Prince and Kevin Porter Jr. sealed the win from the free-throw line, going 4-of-4 in the closing moments.
Damian Lillard contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as the Bucks improved to 3-1 against the Pacers this season, securing the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Aaron Nesmith led Indiana with 30 points, while Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton added 26 and 24, respectively. Haliburton also recorded 15 assists, tying his season high.
The matchup came just four days after Haliburton’s late-game heroics in Indiana, where his four-point play secured a 115-114 win over Milwaukee. The rematch featured a playoff-like atmosphere, with the home crowd energizing the Bucks.
Despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Pacers showed resilience after trailing by 21 in the fourth quarter. Their rally came up short as Milwaukee held on.
Prince made a clutch three-pointer with 1:50 left after Indiana cut the lead to six, finishing with 14 points. He also knocked down critical free throws in the final seconds.
Milwaukee shot 54.4% from the field, overcoming 15 turnovers to secure the victory.
