Game Rewind
The Indiana Pacers (31-41) lost a critical game against Milwaukee (36-36) on Thursday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, 111-107. George Hill had a shot to play hero for the second night in a row, but his game-tying 3-point attempt from the left wing rattled out and Milwaukee grabbed the rebound to seal the game. With the win, the Bucks extended their advantage over the Pacers to five games in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Playing for the second consecutive night, the Pacers came out flat on both ends of the court. They quickly found themselves with an early 23 points deficit they were never quite able to overcome. The Bucks, meanwhile, shot an impressive 74 percent from the field in the first quarter, led by Ersan Ilyasova who connected on 7-of-8 first quarter shots.
Indiana battled back in the second quarter to cut the Milwaukee lead down to seven after a flurry of three-pointers from C.J. Miles. The Bucks quickly rallied back to take a 12-point lead into the halftime intermission.
David West suffered an allergic reaction before the game which caused him to miss action for the first time since he returned from an ankle injury in late November. In place of West, Luis Scola got the start at the power forward position, contributing 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Pacers made it interesting in the final quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 33-26. George Hill came alive in the final period, notching 15 of his 24 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer that pulled the Pacers within two points with six minutes remaining. Milwaukee would stretch the lead, but Indiana stayed within single-digits for the rest of the game and would find themselves down by just three with 11.6 seconds remaining. That's when George Hill made his ill-fated 3-point attempt with 1.9 seconds left, the shot just missing.
Milwaukee never trailed in Thursday night’s contest as they shot 53 percent from the field while Indiana shot 42 percent. The Pacers owned the battle on the boards 42-30, but that advantage was essentially negated by their 23 turnovers.
Indiana had a strong advantage from the free throw line, capitalizing on getting into the penalty early throughout the night. The Pacers went 33-of-43 from the charity stripe but their defensive effort was not up to their Blue Collar standards.
Ilyasova scored a career-high 34 points to lead Milwaukee, scoring from inside and outside. Each of the five starters for the Bucks reached double figures in the scoring column.
Miles was the key offensive weapon throughout the night for the Pacers as he led the team with 26 points on only 14 shot attempts. C.J. Watson was effective off the bench in the absence of Rodney Stuckey (sore left calf). Watson finished with seven rebounds and seven assists to go along with his 23 points.
This was the final game between the two Central Division rivals this season. They split the four-game series.
Inside the Numbers
C.J. Watson matched his season high with 23 points.
George Hill has scored 20+ points in six of his last eight games.
The Pacers attempted a season high 43 free throws, topping the 42 that they shot in Philly in January.
Noteworthy
The Pacers used their 15th different starting lineup of the season which featured Hill, Hill, Miles, Hibbert and Scola who stepped in for David West.
The Pacers have now won 13 of the last 17 games against Milwaukee.
Indiana is now 5-11 on the second night of a back-to-back.
Indiana currently sits in the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference, half a game behind the Boston Celtics.
Stat of the Night
George Hill connected on a career high six 3-pointers, besting his previous high of four which he has accomplished 10 times.
Up Next
The Pacers return to Indiana on Sunday to host Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Good seats still remain for that game. Reserve your seats now: Find Tickets »