3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ resilient win over Indiana Pacers
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks entered Wednesday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers with far less personnel than usual. In addition to Brook Lopez and Semi Ojeleye remaining sidelined with their respective injuries, the defending champs were without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Donte DiVincenzo, DeMarcus Cousins, and Wesley Matthews for a variety of reasons. With such a massive assortment of key rotation pieces sidelined, the Bucks obviously faced an uphill battle as they welcomed a Central Division rival to town.
Despite the handful of players missing, the shorthanded Bucks outdueled the Pacers and secured the 114-99 victory on their home floor. Although the Pacers have had their share of struggles this season, this was an incredibly impressive win for the Bucks all-around. It showed the resiliency of this team when it initially seemed like they could be in for a long night as the injury report grew longer and longer. With all that being said, let us take a closer look at three big takeaways from a big bounce-back win over the Pacers last night.
The Milwaukee Bucks pulled away from the Indiana Pacers with a dominant showing in the fourth quarter
After three quarters, the Bucks and Pacers were knotted up at 87. Both teams traded blows in the third as they each exchanged the lead several times. A thrilling back-and-forth third period set the stage for a must-see final 12 minutes of nonstop action that seemed destined to go down to the wire in a dramatic fashion, but it unfolded far differently than that.
Milwaukee took full control in the fourth as they outscored Indiana 27-12 in the final period. They managed to pull away thanks to an impressive 21-0 run. After a Justin Holiday 3-pointer gave the Pacers a 92-91 lead with 9:41 left to play, the Bucks flipped the switch. The run started as big man Bobby Portis (20 points, nine rebounds) stepped to the line for a pair of free throws, knocking down the pair. Milwaukee never looked back and built up a comfortable double-digit cushion after those free throws thanks to some robust defense and excellent offense from the entire team.
The Bucks should feel great after this performance. Not only did they get the victory, but they did it convincingly thanks to this sensational showing in the fourth.