Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 119-109 win over Indiana Pacers

Looking to start their first winning streak of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks were set to take on the Indiana Pacers Monday night.

The Bucks would not be getting much for reinforcements as they looked to finish off their road trip on a high note as their injury issues continue piling up. Still, without Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis, among others, the defending champions looked solid as they knocked off the Pacers with a 119-109 victory. It was far from smooth sailing all the way through as the ever-persistent Pacers kept it close until the end, but the Bucks managed to hold them off long enough. With that being said, here are three takeaways from last night’s contest.

Grayson Allen finds a shooting groove for the Milwaukee Bucks in win over Indiana Pacers

Everyone had been waiting for Grayson Allen to find his shooting stroke and have a big game for the Bucks after his slow start. The guard had shot 26.9 percent from the outside over the team’s first three contests, and he was bound to find the hot hand sooner or later, which is exactly what he did against the Pacers.

Milwaukee’s starting shooting guard finished with 19 points on the night, shooting 5-of-11 overall and 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Despite his early shooting struggles, Allen’s confidence was all the way through the roof as he continuously let it fly from the outside. To his credit, Allen also went a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line, capping off a great night on the offensive end, certainly his best in a Bucks uniform. That is not to discredit his defense, as he looked great by tallying a block and a steal each while playing solid all-around, but it was certainly his offense that stole the show.

With Milwaukee missing such crucial scorers as Holiday, Lopez, and Portis, Allen’s increased production helped make up for their absence, helping lead this team to victory. As the team continues to navigate through their injury woes, Allen’s workload will increase over the next few contests, and hopefully, this latest outing can help him establish some momentum. When he is knocking down that outside shot at an efficient rate, he is a lethal piece for this Bucks team, and he showed it in the win over Indiana.