Pacers travel to last-place Milwaukee, but Bucks are no gimme
The Indiana Pacers were better on the first game of this road trip than they were in back-to-back home losses, but it still resulted in a dispiriting defeat.
Facing a last-place team next doesn't automatically mean that Indiana will avoid its longest losing streak of the season.
The Milwaukee Bucks just posted their highest scoring total of the season and have already put up 120 points in a win over the Pacers heading into Wednesday night's matchup.
Indiana (31-29) is in a tight race for an Eastern Conference playoff spot and those hopes have been hampered by a three-game slide -- the club's sixth losing streak of that length.
The Pacers fell 96-95 to Charlotte on Friday and 111-102 to Portland on Sunday before leaving on a four-game journey that began with Monday's 100-96 loss at Cleveland. The game featured 25 lead changes and 17 ties.
"We showed more spirit than we did the last two home games, but we gotta figure out a way to close these games out," coach Frank Vogel said.
Monta Ellis scored 28 points to break out of a four-game slump in which he averaged 11.8 points on 28.3 percent shooting.
Paul George added 23 for the Pacers, who have dropped five straight Central Division road games.
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"This is going to be a tough road trip for us," guard Rodney Stuckey said. "It doesn't get any easier. We've got to go to Milwaukee, Charlotte, who has beaten us twice already, and Washington, so it's going to be a tough one."
Indiana and Milwaukee (25-35) have split two meetings, with the Pacers posting a 123-86 rout Nov. 21 and the Bucks -- the Central's worst team -- responding with a 120-116 victory Dec. 31.
Milwaukee surpassed that point total by shooting 59.3 percent in Monday's 128-121 victory over Houston. Jabari Parker scored a career-high 36 points and Khris Middleton had 30.
Parker is averaging 22.8 points on 53.8 percent shooting over his last six games and made his first 3-pointer of the season against the Rockets with a season-high five assists.
"He didn't force anything, he just let the game come to him," coach Jason Kidd said. "The touches that he had, he was even finding guys. He's a guy that wants to win and you saw that tonight."
The Bucks are 5-3 since O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee replaced Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams in the starting lineup. Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken over the bulk of the ballhandling duties, recording 18 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists Monday after posting his first career triple-double three games earlier.
"It's really good because he's able to draw a lot of attention and everybody gets open because he gets one step ahead of his man," Parker said.
Carter-Williams was a late scratch Monday because of patella tendinitis while Jerryd Bayless returned after a five-game absence with a left knee injury.
The Pacers' C.J. Miles has missed five straight games with a strained left calf, although Vogel said he may be ready to return Wednesday.
The Bucks lead the NBA with 50.1 points per game in the paint and the Pacers languish near the bottom at 40.4. Indiana averages 21.4 drives for the East's second-worst mark, with an average of 13.5 points off drives for one of the league's worst figures.
Milwaukee attempts 15.7 3-pointers per game for the NBA's second-worst mark and ranks last with 18.8 points per game off catch-and-shoot situations.
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