Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 54 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it was not enough for the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost 126-124 to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in Indianapolis.
The Pacers were led by Tyrese Haliburton’s 29 points and 10 assists. Bennedict Mathurin added 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Myles Turner scored 21 and grabbed six rebounds. It was the fifth game in a row the Pacers scored over 120 points.
It was the seventh time in Antetokounmpo’s career that he scored at least 50 points in a regular-season game. Khris Middleton also chipped in 19 and Malik Beasley added 13. The Bucks were missing Damian Lillard, who has a calf injury.
The Pacers jumped out to a strong start, leading 27-9 on Haliburton’s 3-pointer with 4:55 left in the first quarter. Indiana hit 8 of 16 attempts from beyond the arc in the first quarter to take a 38-24 lead.
The Bucks answered quickly, going on an 11-2 run to start the second quarter. They eventually cut the deficit to 66-60 heading into halftime.
Antetokounmpo had 26 points in the first half.
Antetokounmpo scored nine consecutive points for the Bucks to open the second half. But Indiana kept it close, shooting nearly 41.7 percent from beyond the arc in the game.
Despite his dominance, Antetokounmpo committed back-to-back turnovers with just over a minute to go, giving Indiana the opportunity to take the lead and extend it at the free-throw line.
With the Pacers then up by three, Middleton missed an open 3-pointer, sealing the loss for the Bucks.
The Pacers, who ended a 10-game, head-to-head losing streak against the Bucks last season, have won the first of four meetings with Milwaukee this season.
–Field Level Media
