The Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the Indiana Pacers 110-102 to earn their first win of the season, avoiding a 0-4 start on Monday night.
Tyler Herro dropped 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists; Ryan Rollins had 19, Kyle Kuzma 17, and Kel’el Ware had 16 and 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double for the Bucks.
On the other hand, Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 22 points, nine assists, and six boards, while Pascal Siakam had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
Indiana played one night after a 136-109 win at Brooklyn, in which center Ivica Zubac sprained his left ankle, leaving him out of Monday’s game.
The Pacers were shorthanded, also missing T.J. McConnell (hamstring strain), Andrew Nembhard (back) and Ben Sheppard (meniscus tear).
Milwaukee’s Nate Ament took advantage of the turnover through a slam to tie the game at 86 and put it ahead for good with 10:08 left.
Ament’s dunk started an 8-0 burst as the Pacers missed their first six shots of the fourth quarter.
The Bucks led 101-92 midway through the fourth quarter before Siakam scored six straight points to cut the deficit to three.
Milwaukee gained some breathing room with triples from Kasparas Jakucionis and Kuzma.
Despite Myles Turner scored only six points for the Bucks, he had a number of key defensive plays down the stretch and had an offensive board that led to Kuzma’s late triple.
Both teams will play home games on Wednesday night: the Pacers host the 76ers, while the Bucks host the Rockets.
