On Thursday night, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 126-124. Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning 3-pointer with 1:29 remaining set up Giannis Antetokounmpo for an NBA season-high 54 points, but he also gave up two turnovers.
The Pacers, who had to come back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter after blowing an 18-point lead, were led by Haliburton with 29 points, 10 assists, and Bennedict Mathurin with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bucks were down 122-121 after Antetokounmpo threw away a pass with 1:03 remaining and was subsequently stripped by Mathurin with 30 seconds remaining, falling one point short of his career best. He had eight mistakes in addition to going 19 for 25 from the field, 16 for 18 on free throws, and grabbing 12 rebounds.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Antetokounmpo said, “I didn’t take care of the ball on two possessions.” “I didn’t shoot the ball; I had to shoot it. However, I was fuming and they managed to win.”
Adrian Griffin was removed from the Bucks with 7:52 left in the third quarter, meaning the team played without their first-year head coach for a large portion of the second half. A double technical foul was called on him just after Antetokounmpo’s in-bounds slam. After Antetokounmpo was shown a red card during a 120-118 victory over Detroit the previous evening, Griffin had pledged to speak out more with referees about hits on his star player.
“I thought Giannis was getting hit quite a bit and voiced my opinion,” Griffin said. “I’ll be a bit more careful the next time. He respects the referees so much and is such a wonderful human being that he never complains. I have an obligation to ensure his safety.”
Milwaukee had to play without All-Star Damian Lillard because to calf pain, but Antetokounmpo had an incredible effort, falling just three points short of Michael Redd’s club record. With seven seconds remaining, Khris Middleton, who had 19 points and hit a three at the last buzzer, missed a three that would have knotted the game.
Mathurin made two free throws with 8.4 seconds remaining to give Indiana a one-point lead, 124–121. In the closing seconds, Bruce Brown—who finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists—sealed the victory with two foul throws.
Prior to Antetokounmpo’s accomplishment, Zach LaVine of Chicago had the previous-highest scoring game in the NBA this season, scoring 51 points against Detroit on October 28.
Thanks to eight 3-pointers, the Pacers jumped out to an 18-point lead in the first quarter and had a 38-24 edge at the conclusion of it. Milwaukee closed the gap to 66-60 at the half and, with 9:32 remaining in the third, tied the score at 71 thanks to two free throws by Middleton.
With five minutes remaining, the Bucks led 117-108 and had increased their lead to as much as 10 points in the last quarter.
Antetokounmpo finished the first half with 26 points, 18 of which came in the second quarter and another 20 in the third. With 10:28 remaining, he scored 50 points on a layup made possible by Middleton’s over-the-top pass, forcing an Indiana timeout.
Prior to Thursday’s game, the two-time MVP had witnessed a decline in his scoring output over the first several games of the season, averaging fewer than 25 points per contest.
“I was just feeling really good in my legs,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was in equilibrium. I felt powerful. I think I could go in at angles the same way I have in the past. For the last three games, this is how I’ve been feeling. That indicates that I’m beginning to regain my rhythm, which makes me pleased.”
Milwaukee hit only 9 of 27 long-range shots while shooting 53% from the field.
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