Gary Trent Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo Lead Bucks to Important Win Over Pacers
Gary Trent Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo both scored 37 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks come from behind and beat the Indiana Pacers 117-101 on Friday. The win cuts the Bucks’ deficit in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to 2-1.
Trent was brought into the starting line-up in place of Taurean Prince and impressed coach Doc Rivers, sinking 9 of his 12 three-point attempts. His nine successful shots tied the Bucks’ playoff record, first set by Ray Allen in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals.
“We wanted someone aggressive to go at Tyrese Haliburton,” said Doc Rivers. “Gary doesn’t switch off. When he gets going, he keeps pushing, and that’s exactly what we needed. He’s a tough lad.”
Antetokounmpo also grabbed 12 rebounds and made six assists, while AJ Green added 12 points, hitting four three-pointers.
Pascal Siakam led the scoring for Indiana with 28 points, shooting 12 of 19. Aaron Nesmith scored 18 points, and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 10 assists.
Game 4 will take place on Sunday in Milwaukee.
The third quarter was the turning point. Trent scored 18 points in the period, shooting 5 of 6 from three-point range, helping Milwaukee dominate 39-18 and take an 86-75 lead.
“We knew we were getting good, open looks,” said Green. “Gary can shoot as well as anyone. He did his job tonight, and we’ll keep feeding him the ball for the rest of the series.”
Damian Lillard, who had struggled earlier, made a three-pointer to start the fourth quarter, and Green followed with two more. The Bucks went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in the last quarter, with Trent making both of his shots.
“They played with a lot of force and determination,” admitted Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We made mistakes in defence in the second half. They were great, and we were poor.”
The game started slowly, with both sides struggling to find their rhythm. Each team managed only two three-pointers in the first quarter, which ended 26-26.
Indiana found their form late in the second quarter and led 57-47 at half-time. The Pacers shot 46 percent from the field before the break, while the Bucks managed just 38 percent and made only 4 of their 23 three-point attempts.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 17 points in the first half, while Nesmith led the Pacers with 15.
