Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 119-100 win over Indiana Pacers

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This wasn’t the Bucks’ most fluid or tidy performance by any means, but there was at least one element of it that was reassuringly in line with what has been associated with the team all season long.

Of course, I’m referring to the play of Milwaukee’s All-Star duo as both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton bounced back after notable struggles against the Miami Heat on Monday.

That was likely most encouraging in the case of Middleton given the two-game absence he endured through a neck injury prior to that trip to South Beach.

In 29 minutes of this one, Middleton racked up 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-5 from deep, maintaining his 50-40-90 pace by going to work across all of his favorite spots on the floor.

Meanwhile, although Giannis wasn’t quite as efficient as his teammate, he came up with trademark strong bursts of play when needed, including when the Bucks opened up their lead in a major way across the late third quarter and into the fourth quarter.

Certainly, considering who’s up next on the schedule, the Bucks need their two stars to be playing at the peak of their powers.