Pacers notch impressive road win over Bucks to kick off 2024

Emotional battle shapes up between rivals

The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks faced off on Monday night to kick off 2024 for both teams. It was the first meeting between the two squads since their scuffle in Milwaukee last month after a game. It was shaping up to be an emotional battle between the two teams who had already played three times and would face off again in two days. Getting the win was critical.

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Dominant Bucks surge ahead of early title:

In the early portions of the game, Milwaukee was the dominant squad. Indiana started the night 2/10 from the field while the Bucks surged ahead 14-4. Pacers center Jalen Smith struggled, going 1/5 in under four minutes as the team failed to generate quality shots.

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Table Summary of Pacers Vs Bucks 2024 Game

Title	Summary
Dominant Bucks surge ahead early	Milwaukee jumped out to a 14-4 lead early as Indiana struggled shooting 2-10.
Pacers call timeout to reset	Carlisle called a timeout with 6:58 left in 1st as the Pacers were down 10.
Bucks extend lead after timeout	Pacers only slightly better after the timeout, Bucks lead grew to 15.
Pacers close quarter strong	Pacers cut the lead to 9 by quarter’s end after making some threes.
The Pacers’ second unit sparks	McConnell and Mathurin helped cut Milwaukee’s lead in 2nd quarter.
Pacers tie it up	Mathurin’s layup cut the lead to 2, forcing Bucks’ timeout.
Pacers take first lead	Nesmith 3 gave Pacers their first lead of the night.
Lead changes hands	Teams traded leads multiple times over the next few minutes.
Bucks take halftime lead	Lillard and Antetokounmpo led the Bucks on the run to take a 6-point lead at the half.
Pacers make a lineup change	Buddy Hield started 2nd half instead of Nembhard dealing with the back issue.
Bucks extend lead to 10	Milwaukee’s lead back up to 10 forcing the Pacers’ timeout.
Bucks regain 15-point lead	Bucks slowly built lead back up to 15 from 1st quarter.
Pacers shooting struggles	Pacers shot just 14.8% from 3 through most of the 3rd quarter.
Pacers cut the lead to 4	Haliburton and bench-cut Bucks lead to just 4 points.
Pacers trail by 4 after 3	Pacers cut the lead to 4 heading to the fourth quarter.
Pacers cut the lead to 1 in 4th	Pacers cut Bucks lead to 1 in under 2 minutes to start 4th.
Mathurin gives the Pacers a lead	Mathurin broke the tie and gave the Pacers a 2-point lead.
Pacers create separation	Pacers built the lead as high as 8, their best of the game.
Pacers maintain the lead down the stretch	Pacers’ defence kept the lead despite Bucks’s attacks.
Haliburton ice game	Haliburton’s floater with a foul sealed a 7-point lead with 1:20 left.
Pacers hold on for the win	Pacers made free throws down the stretch to win 122-113.

Pacers call timeout to reset title:

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout with 6:58 to go in the first quarter and his team down by 10. They needed to reset after an ugly start.

Bucks extend lead after timeout title:

The stoppage didn’t help turn things around. Indiana was a little better over the next few minutes but it wasn’t enough to cut into the lead. In fact, the Bucks went on a 15-10 run and were up 15 with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter.

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Pacers close quarter strong title:

Closing the quarter strong was going to be important for the Pacers. They were able to slash the lead down to nine after making a few threes, but the first scuffle of the game happened late in the first quarter between Bobby Portis and Isaiah Jackson. It was ruled a common foul on Portis. The quarter ended with the Bucks up by seven.

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Pacers’ second unit sparks title:

The T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin gave the Pacers’ second unit important minutes and helped slash into the Milwaukee lead in the second quarter.

Pacers tie it up title:

After a Mathurin layup cut the lead to two, Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin took a timeout. His team’s 15-point advantage was nearly gone — they needed to regroup against Indiana’s paint pressure. It didn’t take long for the blue and gold to tie the game at 35.

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Pacers take first lead title:

An Aaron Nesmith three on the Pacers’ next possession gave them their first advantage of the night. Suddenly, they were clicking in every way.

Lead changes hands title:

The two teams traded blows for the next few minutes, with the lead changing hands multiple times along the way. With Indiana up by four with 6:37 left in the half, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard checked in for the Bucks. The two stars were going to try to change the game.

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Bucks take halftime lead title:

They were unable to do so down the stretch of the first half. Lillard and Antetokounmpo continued to punish Indiana and went on a sizable run, which finished at 21-11. Milwaukee led by six at halftime at 62-56. Mathurin’s 12 points paced the Pacers at the break.

Pacers make lineup change to start second-half title:

The second half began with the Pacers shaking up their lineup. Buddy Hield was on the court instead of Andrew Nembhard, who started the game. Nembhard was dealing with a sore back, so Carlisle was forced to change his opening group. The Pacers starters were ineffective as a unit in the first half.

Bucks extend lead to 10 for timeout title:

It took less than three minutes for Milwaukee to balloon their lead to 10, and that led to a timeout for the blue and gold. They couldn’t afford to let things get out of hand.

Bucks regain 15-point lead title:

They weren’t able to stop the bleeding. Slowly but surely, the Bucks got their lead back to the 15 number it reached in the first quarter.

Pacers shooting struggles title:

There were many reasons why the Pacers were struggling, but their perimeter shooting was at the top of the list. Indiana was 4/27 (14.8%) from deep with four minutes left in the third frame.

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Haliburton shots cuts lead title:

Star guard Tyrese Haliburton finally raised his team’s three-point percentage slightly with a triple that cut the Bucks lead to 10 with 3:16 to go in the third period.

Pacers cut lead to 4 titles:

Haliburton scored on the Pacers’ next possession, and their bench continued to be solid against Milwaukee’s second unit. In the blink of an eye, Indiana cut the lead down to four.

Pacers trail by 4 after 3 titles:

Indiana cut Milwaukee’s 15-point advantage down to four and trailed 88-84 after three quarters.

Pacers cut lead to 1 in 4th title:

The fourth quarter opened with good play from the Pacers, who cut the Bucks lead down to one in under two minutes.

Lead changes hands down the stretch title:

They traded blows, and the lead, for the next few possessions. Neither group was able to capture momentum.

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Mathurin gives Pacers lead title:

Mathurin broke the tie and gave the Pacers 100 points before the Bucks. But Milwaukee quickly answered and tied things up again.

Pacers create separation title:

Finally, with just over four minutes to go, Indiana created some separation.

Pacers in control with minutes to go title:

Their lead got as high as eight, which was their best number of the game to that point. The Pacers were in control with just a few minutes to go.

Pacers maintain lead down stretch title:

Indiana kept pushing, though. They were attacking Malik Beasley often in the final stretch of the game, and they were getting good shots out of it.

Haliburton ice game title:

Haliburton gave it to them with a massive floater with 1:20 on the clock. He nailed the shot and was fouled, and the Pacers were up seven with moments remaining.

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Pacers hold on for win title:

The Pacers got it done. McConnell knocked one down before Turner made two more, and the blue and gold had an insurmountable lead. They held on to win 122-113.