The Milwaukee Bucks completed the regular season series sweep over their central division rival the Indiana Pacers last night with a 142-133 win.
Indiana was without three typical starters in this contest, including former Buck Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, and the ascending Caris LeVert. Still, the understaffed Pacers put up a fight until the very end, managing to keep things close and never let the Bucks outright pull away.
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Milwaukee’s pursuit of the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings also remains within reach as they are now just a game back of the Brooklyn Nets following the win and have the tiebreaker at their disposal.
Time will tell how those standings shake out, but here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s win over Indiana that helped keep them afloat in the race last night.
The Milwaukee Bucks take over the paint in win over Pacers
Indiana was without the aforementioned big man Myles Turner for this matchup, who has been out of their lineup since last month with a right foot injury. Turner had been among the league leaders in blocked shots this season because of his threatening presence at the rim, and the Bucks took full advantage of his absence in last night’s contest.
With little pushback whatsoever, Milwaukee consistently and aggressively made their way to the rim all throughout the evening. That assertive approach helped the Bucks tally 78 of their 142 points directly from the painted area in what was a dominant overall showing.
Among the several players that helped propel Milwaukee’s paint attack, Brook Lopez had himself yet another big night. The big man continued his recent hot streak on the offensive end by finishing with 21 points on an efficient 9-for-15 shooting and doing the bulk of his work close to the basket as he attempted just one triple on the night.
Lopez has been heating up at the perfect time as the playoffs inch closer, and it is a welcoming sign to see him keep these recent efforts consistent. While his floor spacing is a welcoming threat to have, it is no coincidence that his best outings lately have come when he is driving himself closer to the hoop.
Still, Lopez was certainly not alone in the Bucks’ paint attack last night as he got some assistance from the two-time MVP.