NBA: Bucks peak in 4th quarter to topple Pacers
Jrue Holiday #21 of the Milwaukee Bucks gestures after making a three-point basket against the Miami Heat during the third quarter of the game at the Miami-Dade County arena on January 12, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP
Jrue Holiday scored 35 points and dished out 11 assists, Bobby Portis went for 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat the visiting Indiana Pacers 132-119 on Monday.
The Bucks, playing without two-time MVP and 31-point-per-game scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo for a third consecutive game due to knee soreness, used a dominant fourth quarter to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Article continues after this advertisementMilwaukee outscored Indiana 39-21 in the final period thanks to a 14-of-18 shooting effort over the final 12 minutes.
Holiday scored 11 points of his game-high total in the fourth quarter, while Grayson Allen knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early in the period en route to eight of his 17 points during the stanza.
Jrue Holiday showed out in the Bucks win:
35 PTS
4 REB
11 AST
5 Threes pic.twitter.com/3Ol3IsHmJq— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023
Allen’s performance, which also included five rebounds, four assists and two steals, was part of an all-around balanced effort for Milwaukee. Five Bucks scored in double figures, with Brook Lopez adding 19 points and Jordan Nwora coming off the bench to shoot 4-of-4 from 3-point range and finish with 14 points.
George Hill returned for his first appearance since Jan. 6 and shot 4-for-6 from the floor for nine points. Hill also distributed six assists, with 32 of Milwaukee’s 48 made field goals coming off assists.
The Bucks shot 48-of-91 from the field overall, including 23-of-46 from beyond the arc. Holiday, who went 5-for-8 from deep, led seven Milwaukee shooters connecting on at least two treys. Allen, Lopez and Portis each made three 3-point attempts.
Indiana — playing its third consecutive game without NBA assists leader Tyrese Haliburton — dropped its fourth straight, marking the Pacers’ longest losing skid of the season.
Myles Turner returned to the lineup after a three-game hiatus due to back issues and scored a team-high 30 points. He also matched Bennedict Mathurin’s team high with eight rebounds and blocked a game-high four shots.
T.J. McConnell came off the bench to score a career-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor while going 4-for-4 from 3-point range. Buddy Hield shot 5-of-10 from deep en route to 18 points.
