Coming off a much-needed win Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks looked to make in two in a row as they hosted the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night.
The Pacers came into the contest on a short night’s rest after having flown in from Indiana after a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday night. Milwaukee took advantage and took control of the game from the opening tip. After 48 thrilling minutes, the Bucks earned their 13th victory of the season with a 130-110 win over a top-tier divisional rival.
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Milwaukee has another divisional opponent coming up on the schedule with a back-to-back scheduled against the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday and Saturday night.
However, before then, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s big win against Indiana at Fiserv Forum.
Takeaway No. 3 from win over Indiana Pacers – Milwaukee Bucks get a big night from The Big Ragu
Donte DiVincenzo had a January to forget with the Bucks, capped off by his worst performance of the season in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The team’s starting shooting guard endured what seemed like a month-long struggle after a red-hot start to the season, and many questioned whether he could break this slump and revert back to his previous form.
In Wednesday’s contest against the Pacers, he certainly quieted those concerns momentarily with a refreshing performance. DiVincenzo finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He also logged four rebounds, three assists, and a block to make his presence felt everywhere during his 21.5 minutes on the night.
It was arguably DiVincenzo’s best all-around performance of the season, and it was certainly a breath of fresh air to see him put it together after his recent struggles.
The recently turned 24-year-old has embraced the opportunity to start for one of the league’s top contenders, and they will need his contributions down the road. While not every night will be an excellent performance from top-to-bottom, the biggest knock on DiVincenzo has been inconsistency, and this seems like the perfect game to build some momentum off of moving forward.
Takeaway No. 2 from win over Indiana Pacers – Milwaukee Bucks get contributions from everyone
Typically, if the leading trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday score just 44 points on the night, the Bucks will pencil in a loss. However, Milwaukee’s 130-110 win over Indiana shattered that theory as it was the definition of an all-around team effort.
Giannis still paved the way with his third triple-double of the season by notching 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in 30 minutes of action. Middleton finished with 12 points, while Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez each knotted 11. As previously mentioned, Donte DiVincenzo also had a big night with 16 points to round out the starting lineup’s contributions.
Surprisingly, it was the bench that carried a large portion of the load by finishing with a collective 59 points on the night, far beyond their typical quota. Sharpshooter Bryn Forbes propelled this big night from the bench, finishing with a season-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 22 minutes. Forbes has proven that he can be a game-changer when his shots are falling from outside, and tonight was the most apparent example yet.
Another well-regarded member of the second unit that had a great night was Bobby Portis, who has been on a tear as of late. The big man continued his recent string of impressive performances with 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor. He also tallied nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a single block to stuff the stat sheet in just 16 minutes of burn.
Everything was clicking for the Bucks, most notably because of their willingness to share the ball. The team finished with an impressive 33 assists on the night, ensuring to get everyone involved in the offensive onslaught.
Takeaway No. 1 from win over Indiana Pacers – Milwaukee Bucks make franchise history with 3-point shooting
The Bucks have been one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the association throughout the early going this season, and it undoubtedly showed Wednesday night.
Milwaukee torched the Indiana Pacers from long-range by connecting on 21 of their 48 3-point attempts (43.8 percent). Perhaps the most compelling part is that Giannis, Jrue, and Khris combined only to hit two of these triples, another testament to this all-around team outing.
While 3-point barrages are nothing new for Milwaukee, tonight marked their fifth game of the season where they successfully connected on 20 or more triples in a single outing. For reference, they had just four such contests in franchise history heading into the 2020-21 season.
The Bucks spent handsomely to add consistent 3-point shooters this offseason, and it was on full display throughout this matchup. Circling back to Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes, two of those newcomers, they shot the lights out from deep off the bench. Portis shot an impressive 4-of-5, while Forbes helped tally his season-high point total with Milwaukee by shooting 4-of-7 from distance. Even Torrey Craig, who came in with a reputation as a subpar 3-point shooter, knocked down two of his three triples on the night and on the season.
While the Bucks will not hit 20 or more 3-pointers in every game, they have done it more times this year than in the history of their franchise. That is certainly a welcoming stat, and hopefully, they can keep it somewhat consistent moving forward.
Currently riding a two-game win streak, the Bucks will look to build off their latest two games with a back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers starting Friday night.