Pacers beat Bucks, ending 15-game home winning streak

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Malik Beasley #5 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball against Jalen Smith #25 of the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Fiserv Forum on January 01, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. License Agreement (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images )

MILWAUKEE - Tyrese Haliburton had 26 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee 122-113 on Monday, stopping the Bucks’ 15-game home winning streak.

Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for Indiana, and Isaiah Jackson had 18 points and nine assists. T.J. McConnell scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and also had nine assists.

Mathurin, Jackson and McConnell helped the Pacers outscore the Bucks 70-16 in bench points. That enabled the Pacers to win on a night when they shot just 5 of 35 from 3-point range.

Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for his 38th career triple-double, and third this season. The two-time MVP is averaging 46.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in four meetings with Indiana this season, but the Bucks are 1-3 in those games.

Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton each scored 21 points for the Bucks. Damian Lillard had 13 points while shooting 3 of 16 overall and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

The Pacers trailed by 15 in the third quarter before rallying to take a 90-89 lead with 10:12 left on a Jackson basket that capped a 19-5 run. The game went back and forth from there before McConnell scored six points during an 8-0 spurt that gave Indiana a 109-101 edge with 3:59 remaining.

After Middleton hit a 3-pointer to end the run, Haliburton responded with two straight jumpers to make it 113-104. The Bucks scored five straight to cut the lead to 113-109, but Haliburton drove into the lane for a three-point play with 1:20 left.

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The victory for Indiana marked the first of two matchups in a three-day stretch in a series that has turned into a pretty spirited rivalry this season.

After the Pacers won their first two meetings — including an In-Season Tournament semifinal triumph — Antetokounmpo set a franchise single-game record by scoring 64 points in a 140-125 win over Indiana on Dec. 13.

The teams had a skirmish in a hallway leading to the Pacers’ locker room after that Dec. 13 game in a dispute over the game ball.

Indiana was missing Bruce Brown for a fifth straight game because of a bone bruise in his right knee, and Andrew Nembhard played just eight minutes before leaving with a sore back. The Bucks were playing without MarJon Beauchamp due to a non-COVID-19 illness.

A moment of silence was held before the game to honor Herb Kohl, who owned the Bucks from 1985-2014 and served four terms in the U.S. Senate. A video tribute to Kohl aired during the game’s first timeout, and a section of the Fiserv Forum crowd chanted "Thank you, Herb!"

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This was the Bucks’ first home game since Kohl died Wednesday at the age of 88.

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The Bucks and Pacers meet again Wednesday at Indiana in their last matchup of the regular season.