Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks on scoring 54 points against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 9, 2023.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Milwaukee Bucks (5-3) had a three-game winning streak snapped by the Indiana Pacers (6-3) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Thursday night, losing 126-124 without Damian Lillard.
With Lillard out due to calf soreness, Giannis Antetokounmpo took over and scored 54 points for his seventh career regular season 50-point game. But he and the Bucks ran out of gas down the stretch as the Pacers overcame a 10-point deficit over the final seven minutes to pull out the victory.
Antetokounmpo was 16 for 18 from the free throw line and 19 of 25 from the floor, but he had one attempt in a crowd of Pacers blocked late and turned it over on back-to-back possessions in the final minute as the Bucks did not score over the final 1 minute, 41 seconds.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 29 points and 10 assists. Five other Pacers scored in double figures.
BOX SCORE: Pacers 126, Bucks 124
Khris Middleton had 19 for the Bucks. Cam Payne started in place of Lillard and had seven points and five assists.
Giannis ‘dominant’ as he scores 54 points
From the early moments, it looked as if Antetokounmpo was on a mission against the Pacers. He scored eight first quarter points, and then exploded for 18 on 6-of-7 shooting in the second quarter. He was making his free throws and seemingly had the Pacers on their heels the entire game, despite entering the contest with a sore left ankle.
“I was just; my legs were feeling good,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was on balance. I feel strong. I feel like I could attack angles like I been in the past. I’ve been feeling like this the last three games. That means I’m kind of getting my rhythm back, so I’m kind of happy about that.”
He continued his assault on the rim – and potentially the Bucks’ franchise record book – as he accumulated 20 points in the third quarter. Through his first 28 minutes, he had 46 points to give the Bucks a 94-93 lead after three quarters.
“Just being dominant,” Khris Middleton said. “You could see nobody out there could guard him tonight. It was either a layup, dunk or a foul. And I think he realized that, he sensed blood, and he went for it every time. That’s what we needed on nights like tonight.
Unfortunately we couldn’t get the win with it. But he did a great job of attacking, seeing double teams, kicking out, knowing when to attack, knowing when to wait. Just being patient. I thought he played a great game. Just gotta be better at the end for him there, help him out a little bit more.
But, he also began to show signs of fatigue as that quarter ended. He missed his first free throw in the quarter, an attempt that barely hit the front of the rim. And In the final moments of that quarter he remained out at half-court, hands on his knees, as his teammates played 4-on-4 to close the quarter.
Giannis scores 54 but Indiana rallies late
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