The Pacers suffered their first road loss of the season on Monday night in Milwaukee, falling to the Bucks on the second night of a back-to-back, 110-102.
Indiana (2-2) was undermanned and without two starters, but still led by 11 at halftime. But the Bucks (1-3) outscored the Blue & Gold 60-41 in the second half to come away with the victory.
Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in the loss, while All-Star forward Pascal Siakam added 20 points, 13 boards, and six assists.
Tyler Herro had 23 points, 10 boards, and seven assists to lead the Bucks to their first victory in the post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era. Milwaukee traded the two-time MVP to Miami this summer for a package that included Wisconsin native Herro.
Indiana was without starting center Ivica Zubac and starting guard Andrew Nembhard on Monday. Zubacdid not dress after spraining his left ankle in the first quarter of Sunday’s win in Brooklyn, while guard Andrew Nembhard was unavailable due to next stiffness.
The Bucks led for the majority of the opening quarter behind six early points from each of Kyle Kuzma and Herro. Obi Toppin scored eight points off the bench for Indiana to keep the Pacers within striking distance.Haliburton’s layup just before the first quarter buzzer trimmed Milwaukee’s lead to 31-29.
The Blue & Gold reeled off six consecutive baskets at the start of the second quarter to surge ahead. Jay Huff’s transition dunk capped a 9-0 run to open the frame and subsequent threes by Haliburton and Huff pushed Indiana’s lead to eight.
Indiana went 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the second quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 32-19 in the frame. Siakam’s jumper in the closing seconds of the first half gave the visitors a 61-50 lead at halftime.
The Pacers put on a dunk show in the third quarter. First, Haliburton found a cutting Huff who threw down a right-hand slam on Kyle Kuzma’s head. The very next possession, Haliburton missed a three, but Toppin flew it for a two-hand putback dunk. Just over a minute later, Haliburton connected with Huff for another emphatic dunk, then threw it ahead to Kelly Oubre Jr. for a breakaway jam.
But the Bucks rallied, as Kuzma and Herro knocked down threes and Ryan Rollins converted a layup to cap an 8-0 Milwaukee run to tie the game at 71. Milwaukee briefly took the lead a short while later on a Herro bucket, but Indiana countered with a 9-2 run.
The Bucks came right back and reeled off seven unanswered points, taking an 84-82 lead on rookie Nate Ament’s 3-pointer with 46.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Haliburton answered with a three of his own on the other end to give the Pacers a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The hosts moved ahead early in the final frame on an Ament slam. Ament and Kel’el Ware scored four points apiece as the Bucks opened the fourth quarter with a 10-1 spurt to open up an eight-point lead.
Indiana had whittled the deficit down to 101-98 and looked primed to get in even closer when Jarace Walker stole the ball from Herro and raced ahead. But former Pacers center Myles Turner chased down Walker to block his shot off the rim. That was the closest Indiana would get the rest of the night.
Toppin had 14 points and six rebounds in the loss for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith added 13 points while going 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Walker was the fifth and final Pacer to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points and seven boards.
Rollins had 19 points and four assists for Milwaukee, Kuzma added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Ware had a rebound off the bench with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
The Pacers will return to Indianapolis to host Philadelphia on Wednesday. Indiana then heads to Miami for their first NBA Cup game on Friday before returning to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for back-to-back games against Brooklyn and Atlanta on Nov. 1 and 2.
Inside the Numbers
Siakam recorded his first double-double of the season on Monday. He has scored 20 or more points in all four games so far this season.
Toppin has scored in double figures off the bench in all four games this season.
Walker scored nine of his 10 points in the first half, reaching double figures for the first time this season.
Milwaukee outrebounded Indiana 61-48 overall and 16-14 on the offensive glass. The Bucks scored 24 second-chance points to the Pacers’ eight.
Turner scored just six points on 2-of-7 shooting, but tallied nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and a steal against his former team.
You Can Quote Me On That
“Didn’t play well enough and didn’t get enough rebounds to get anything going. We had some pretty good looks that didn’t go down, but it wasn’t simply a case of make or miss. We’ve got to retrieve the ball when it comes off the board.” — Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle on the difference in the second half
“We needed better energy in the second half. We had the advantage of playing a team on a back-to-back last night and tonight we were the ones that needed to find a way [on the second night of a back-to-back]…But they played a really good second half, so you’ve got to give Milwaukee credit.” — Carlisle on the Pacers’ second-half struggles
Stat of the Night
The Bucks outscored the Pacers 60-41 after halftime as Indiana shot just 31.9 percent from the field and 3-for-22 (13.6 percent) from 3-point range in the second half.
Noteworthy
The Pacers have lost six straight regular season games against the Bucks and five straight regular season contests at Fiserv Forum.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters prior to Monday’s game that fourth-year guard Ben Sheppard stayed back in New York rather than traveling with the team to Milwaukee and is scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Pacers rookie two-way guard Braden Smith was active and made his NBA debut at the end of Monday’s contest, checking in for the final 18 seconds.
Up Next
The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Oct. 28, to host LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.
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