Pacers win in style over underwhelming Bucks, 123-86
The Indiana Pacers sealed the deal in the third quarter and pounded Milwaukee, 123-86, for their eighth win of the season, led in scoring by C.J. Miles.
After the big win over Philadelphia earlier in the week, it was difficult to envision a better performance all-around offensively. Last night, the Pacers dispelled that thought. Shooting 51% from the field and 50% from long-range, Indiana walked through a near 40-point win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Good
With George Hill available but unlikely to feature, Chase Budinger was introduced into the starting rotation and it paid dividends. Budinger had 13 points and 3 assists on 5/9 shooting and was a major part of the offensive success. C.J. Miles was also big for the home side last night, leading the team in scoring with 21 points on 7/16 shooting.
Perhaps to his chagrin, Paul George was unable to meet the 26 points necessary to continue his red-hot streak, but finished with 20 points, 7 boards, and 7 assists and set a new career-high for most consecutive 20 point performances.
Off the bench, both Jordan Hill and Glenn Robinson III were massive, each contributing near 20 points while missing a combined two shots total. Hill earned a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards on 9/10 shooting, while GRIII tacked on 17 points on 6/7 shooting, proving this to be no fluke.
Lastly, the Pacers managed their turnovers well, only giving it up 14 times all game. They doubled up on fastbreak points and their 53-41 advantage on bench points further attributed to the success.
The Bad
With such a large margin of victory, there was a lot to be pleased about and very little to be worried on. The poor shooting at the line (14/23 – 61%) wasn’t ideal and won’t be forgotten by a stubborn Frank Vogel, but was also not detrimental to their performance.
Only three players (Monroe, Parker, Mayo) reached double figures for Milwaukee but proved to be ineffective as a unit and despite a short but decent outing from Jabari Parker, the Bucks failed to show.
Next: Butler faces Miami in Puerto Rico Finals
Another big win and two days off means Indiana won’t hit the floor until they travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Wiz on Tuesday. Tipoff set for 7 pm ET.