The Indiana Pacers managed to withstood a 54-point play from Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday to defeat Bucks a 126-124. Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 29 points including a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:29 left on the clock.
That gave the Pacers a 122-121 lead that they didn’t lose to the end in a game they had led by as many as 18 in the first half before Antetokounmpo pulled the Bucks back into action.
Haliburton added 10 assists and Canadian forward Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who had fallen behind by 10 early in the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo’s 54 points were one shy of his career high and his best performance this season.
He had two turnovers with less than two minutes remaining, missing his target on a pass before he was stripped of the ball by Mathurin.