Rivals jockeying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference will match up when the Indiana Pacers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
It will be the second night of a back-to-back set for the Pacers, who lost their third game in a row Monday night, 121-103 to the host Chicago Bulls without Tyrese Haliburton, who didn’t play because of a hip-flexor strain.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle pulled his starters in the third quarter. Chicago won the second quarter 40-21 after the game was tied after the first, and the Bulls grew the lead to 24 points with about two minutes left in the third.
“The second quarter killed,” Carlisle said. We’re inconsistent. … The second quarter is not acceptable; we’ve got to do better. Our main guys have got to do better. And I’ve got to do better.”
Milwaukee’s momentum ended over the weekend when the team lost both ends of a home back-to-back — 111-109 to the Orlando Magic and 112-100 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The Bucks had won eight of nine games before the two-game skid.
For the second game in a row, the lack of ball movement was the key to the loss for Bucks coach Doc Rivers.
“You don’t win when the ball stops. I don’t care who it is — ball movement, trust, it uplifts your entire team, and I just didn’t think we did that tonight,” Rivers said. “When you move the ball more, the shots become easier for the guys taking them.”
Milwaukee is 0-9 this season against Cleveland, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the East’s top three teams. This is the second of a stretch of eight straight games for the Bucks against teams with a winning record.
On the injury front, Haliburton has missed the past three games after missing just one of the prior 60 games this season. Carlisle said before the Bulls game that Haliburton is close to returning.
For Milwaukee, Chris Livingston (illness) and Bobby Portis (suspension) will miss Tuesday’s game. Damian Lillard (right groin soreness) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) are listed as probable, with Pat Connaughton (calf) is questionable.
Milwaukee has taken the first two games of the four-game series this season: 129-117 on Nov. 22 in Milwaukee and 120-112 in comeback fashion on New Year’s Eve in Indianapolis.
In that most recent game, Antetokounmpo led the way with 30 points along with 12 rebounds. Brook Lopez added 16 points, and the now-departed Khris Middleton (traded to Washington) scored 15. Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 25.
The Bucks would clinch the season series and potentially a key playoff tiebreaker with a victory. The two teams will meet again Saturday in Milwaukee.
On the stat sheet, Indiana stands out for its speed and efficiency, ranking third in overall field-goal percentage (48.9) and tied for second in average speed (4.4).
Milwaukee, one of the oldest teams in the NBA although younger after the trade deadline, excels from beyond the arc at 38.3 percent (third).
–Field Level Media
