Bucks (36-36) 111, Pacers (31-41) 107
Ersan Ilyasova dropped a career-high 34 points — including five 3-pointers — to go along with 6 boards and 2 steals as Milwaukee topped the Pacers on Thursday night. The 6’10” Turk was feeling it from the start; he outscored Indiana’s entire team 17-15 in the first quarter. The Bucks led by double digits for a majority of the game, but the Pacers fought hard to eventually make it competitive. George Hill (24 points, 5 assists) continued his hot shooting and contributed mightily to the comeback. Hill hit three 3-balls in under three minutes at one point in the fourth quarter, but he couldn’t make the one that mattered most: a jumper in the final seconds that would’ve tied the game had it not rattled out. Milwaukee shot 53.4 percent from the floor.
Michael Carter-Williams (13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) led the way for the Bucks, who reached .500 with last night’s win. Tuesday night’s hero, Khris Middleton, added a smooth 17, and the Greek Freak put up 16. Jared Dudley returned to action for the Bucks after missing three games with back spasms. Both of Indiana’s CJs had it going; Miles went for 26, while Watson posted 23 with 7 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench. Although the offense was there, other areas were lacking for the Pacers. It’s hard to win when your starting center only grabs 3 rebounds — c’mon, Roy! It didn’t help that David West was absent from Indiana’s lineup due to an allergic reaction.
