The Indiana Pacers crushed the Milwaukee Bucks in an easy win Saturday night. Indiana outscored the Bucks in every quarter, including an especially dominant second half. It was another strong win for the Pacers as they’ve continued their trend of good shooting and aggressive defense for a few weeks now.
The first quarter ended with a three-point advantage for Indiana. At the end of the second, they had a four-point lead. This is where it becomes interesting. Early in the season (and years past), the Pacers were always solid in the first half and terrible in the second half. Lately, however, the Pacers have been absolutely fantastic in the second half, which is a complete reversive from the beginning of the year. Indiana outscored the Bucks 35-16 in the third and 33-19 in the fourth. They shot the three well, defended with energy, and the final product was a 123-86 victory.
The Pacers continued their recent strong play and should look to build on the recent success on the offensive end. Currently, the Pacers are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, while being one of the the best on the defensive end. Their saving grace right now? Three-point shooting. Indiana is a top-five three-point shooting team, which is incredible as nobody expected them to be a top shooting team. Coming into the season, the two biggest weaknesses were supposed to be their three-point shooting and rebounding. Rebounding is still an issue, but the long-range game has been far better than advertised. It’s keeping the Pacers near the top of the east.
The Pacers played a great on Saturday, shooting 51 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. They were outrebounded (of course) but absolutely dominated the Bucks shooting wise. Milwaukee shot only 29 percent from the three line. It was another great performance from the pacers on the defensive end. Hopefully, they can continue their newfound offensive production. The pacers have had one of the toughest schedules this season in the league, as the teams get easier, the offense production should continue to rise.
The biggest storyline from tonight’s game was the strong play of Glenn Robinson III. He scored 17 on an efficient 6-7 from the field, in only 20 minutes. He’s played great this season, and is only now beginning to get consistent minutes. While the Pacers deal with some injuries, he will continue to get increased opportunities. He’s made the most of his so far, and should only further help the depth of the Pacers. They might have found a steal in GRIII, it sure looks that way so far this year.
The Bucks continue their season with a home matchup against the Pistons. The Pacers look to keep the winning streak alive when they travel to Washington on Thursday.
Bucks 86
(5-8, 2-5 away)
Pacers 123
(8-5, 5-2 home)
Coverage: FSMW
7:00 PM ET, November 21, 2015
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
MIL | 25 | 26 | 16 | 19 | 86 |
IND | 28 | 27 | 35 | 33 | 123 |
Top Performers
Mil: G. Monroe 11 Pts, 14 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
Ind: J. Hill 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk