Pacers get chippy, outlast Milwaukee, breaking Bucks' 15-game win streak at Fiserv Forum

MILWAUKEE — On the first day of the new year, the Indiana Pacers gutted out a win over the Milwaukee Bucks, 122-113, breaking Milwaukee's 15-game win streak at Fiserv Forum.

"We did a lot of things you need to do on the road," Carlisle said. "You got to keep your poise and stay aggressive, and we kept good internal energy and kept believing in each other. Wednesday will be another tough one."

The Pacers are now 3-1 against the Bucks this season, including a victory in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament. The two teams will meet again in Indianapolis on Wednesday as part of a home-and-home.

Here are four observations:

Rivalry stays chippy

Bucks-Pacers is quickly becoming the NBA’s newest rivalry. The teams have met four times over the past two months, including two Pacers victories in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. No. 5 is Wednesday in Indianapolis.

The Dec. 13 iteration of the matchup became game ball-gate, as Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a franchise-high 64 points on the same night Pacers rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first official career point. Antetokounmpo thought the Pacers took the official game ball from the court after the game and stormed down the Indiana tunnel with some teammates, demanding the ball back.

Turns out, the Bucks had the official game ball the entire time — the Pacers took the backup game ball. Still, the rivalry was officially born.

It stayed conscientious three weeks later — Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson, after falling hard under the basket, quickly got in Bucks forward Bobby Portis’ face. Benn Mathurin had to hold Jackson back while the two teams exchanged words. Portis was called for a personal foul, and a review confirmed there was no unnecessary contact for a flagrant.

A short time later, Pacers backup point guard TJ McConnell was called for a technical for something he said in front of a ref. Portis was then called for a technical in the third quarter after getting tangled up with McConnell.

"We're fortunate that we've had so many of these games, it's not even January 2nd yet, that have really been simulations of high-level playoff-type situations and atmospheres," Carlisle said. "We've got to keep rolling."

Second-team lineup propels defense, victory

The Pacers starters had a sluggish start to the game, going down by as many as 15 points.

Down 30-16, coach Rick Carlisle ended up subbing out the entire starting lineup by the 2:20 mark of the first quarter, going with a lineup of TJ McConnell, Buddy Hield, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Isaiah Jackson. That second-team lineup made the stops that the starters couldn’t, erasing the Pacers’ double-digit deficit.

"The point of people coming off the bench is if we're losing, our job is to bring us back, and if we have the lead, it's to keep it there or extend it," McConnell said. "We're just trying to do our jobs on that end."

Those stops included a block on Portis, as well as a steal, and Indiana went on a 18-5 run in the five minutes the second-team was on the floor. Carlisle left the second-team lineup in until the nine-minute mark of the second quarter, when they were trading the lead back-and-forth with the Bucks starters.

Carlisle put in its defensive-minded lineup again at the end of the third quarter, and McConnell, Hield, Mathurin, Jackson, and starter Aaron Nesmith cut a 10-point deficit to four going into the final 12 minutes.

"It's a special group of competitors," Carlisle said. "Young guys on our team, they like each other, they support each other. They compete hard against each other in practice, but when it comes to the games, they pat each other on the butt and really encourage each other, and they make it about the team."

The lineup of Mathurin, McConnell, Toppin, Tyrese Haliburton, and Myles Turner closed out the game, giving the Pacers as much as an eight-point lead in the fourth.

By the end of the game, the bench outscored the starters, 70-51. Mathurin especially shined on Monday night, finishing with 25 points and 13 rebounds for his second career double-double.

"We have a lot of depth on the team, we have a lot of players that came out big tonight," Mathurin said. "TJ had an amazing game, and Tyrese was just being himself today. It was fun."

The Pacers held Milwaukee, the NBA's No. 2 scoring team, to 51 points in the second half.

Indiana plays shorthanded

The Pacers have already been playing down a starter, as Bruce Brown, who is averaging 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, sat out his fifth straight game with a bone bruise in his right knee.

Indiana took another hit in the second half, as starter Andrew Nembhard left the game with a sore back and didn't return. Nembhard dealt with a sore back earlier this season, missing games in November because of it. He also missed seven straight games in December because of a knee injury, returning on Dec. 22 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nembhard played just eight minutes on Monday night with two points on 1-of-2 shooting and two turnovers. He is averaging eight points and 4.1 assists per game.

Pacers struggle beyond the arc

It was not Indiana's night for 3-point shooting. The Pacers started the night 2-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half, and it didn't improve from there — diminishing Indiana's chances of stealing a victory from Milwaukee.

No Pacer made more than one 3-point shot throughout the game. Starters Haliburton and Jalen Smith went 1-for-6 from the field, while Nesmith went 1-of-7. Mathurin made one of his five 3-point shots.

"We talked about the importance of being efficient on offense and doing a good job in the possession game," Carlisle said. "We had a slight advantage on the boards and we only turned it over seven times, so that helps keep you in the game."

Indiana eventually abandoned shooting beyond the arc altogether, attempting just four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Haliburton replaced his 3-point attempts with midrange jumpers, and he went 4-of-6 from the field in the fourth quarter. The Pacers finished the night 5-of-35 from the 3-point line.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Bucks: Indiana win 122-113 in NBA's newest rivalry