Kevin Porter Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Indiana Pacers for a 105-99 win Friday night, securing their first three-game winning streak of the season.
Ryan Rollins chipped in 22 points for Milwaukee, while Bobby Portis returned from a two-game absence due to a bruised hip and finished with 21. Jericho Sims added four points and a career-high 15 rebounds as the Bucks controlled the glass throughout the night.
Andrew Nembhard led Indiana with 22 points and Pascal Siakam added 19, but the Pacers couldn’t complete a late comeback after trimming a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter.
Indiana surged with a 15-0 run to cut the margin to 91-87 with 4:11 remaining. On the Pacers’ next possession, Ben Sheppard missed a 3-pointer that would have made it a one-possession game. Porter answered on the other end with a driving layup, igniting a 7-0 Milwaukee run that restored control for the Bucks.
Milwaukee outrebounded Indiana 48-37 and held a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points, key factors in closing out the victory. Myles Turner, facing his former team, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Bucks improved to 3-0 against the Pacers this season, a notable turnaround after Indiana eliminated Milwaukee from the playoffs in each of the past two years.
Milwaukee again played without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his sixth straight game with a strained right calf, as well as Kyle Kuzma (calf soreness). The Bucks are now 6-14 this season without Antetokounmpo.
Indiana also played shorthanded, with newly acquired Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown sitting out one night after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers. Coach Rick Carlisle said Zubac could make his Pacers debut as early as Tuesday at New York, though a lingering ankle issue could delay his return.
Up next:
The Pacers travel to Toronto on Sunday, while the Bucks continue their road trip at Orlando on Monday night.
