Bucks vs. Pacers: Slamming the Brakes on Indiana

Milwaukee is now 2-0 in NBA Cup play

In their first meeting of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks knocked off the Indiana Pacers in NBA Cup Play behind a triple-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo, 129-117.

Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.

What Did We Learn?

This was one of the best defensive performances the Bucks have had all year.

In fact, Doc mentioned in his presser that this was the most locked in he’s ever seen the team defensively. Here’s his entire quote with a bunch of praise:

“I thought our defense was phenomenal tonight. We turned the ball over, got a little…you know, showtime at the Apollo for about five minutes, you know, and then we caught ourselves. But loved our defensive effort. You know, it’s amazing. Dre had zero points and he had probably one of the biggest impacts in the game, just defending Haliburton for most of the game, making little plays. I thought TP…I just thought defensively, all of us. They were locked in. That’s the most locked in that I’ve seen us defensively. That first half was unbelievable to watch.”

Coming from Doc, that’s huge. We all know how he can be everyone’s biggest critic. But after the game last night, he didn’t need to. All night long, Milwaukee brought the energy by securing a wire-to-wire victory. Everybody on the floor was stepping up and making plays that ignited defense into offense. They say defense is contagious and this is a prime example of that occurring. Every starter but Dame tallied a block in this one. The energy is so encouraging to see and is going to need to be replicated against the Hornets to ensure the win streak continues.

Three Observations

Dame and Giannis’ communication continues to be improving out on the floor.

There were many instances in this one where it truly seemed as if the two of them were on the same wavelength. When asked about the communication with Giannis and how things are shaping out this year, here’s what Dame had to say:

“I think we just kind of honestly are getting to the point where we’re tuning everybody else out. We run a set and we’ll go to each other and I’ll be like, “Look, when I go here, you know, this is what they’re gonna do.” I see how they’re helping and what his man is doing. And he’ll say, “Let me handle it.” And you know, if my guy comes up…like, we’re having a lot of those types of interactions. Like tonight, it was one where I told him you handle and I’m gonna be low and I’m gonna come and set a screen for you and I’m gonna slip out and they messed up the coverage, I popped open for a three and got a clean look. So it’s just a lot of communication between the two of us, you know? It has nothing to do with people saying, “Oh, y’all need to do this or let’s try that.” It’s like he sees what he sees. I see what I see. And we gotta use each other in that way and I think it’s just leading to more times where when I’m having it, we’re putting people in position to where I’m throwing the ball to him.”

And then how about this stat? With Dame on the floor in this one, Giannis was a +25. Without Dame? He was a -12. That shows how the two of them are in sync and much more compatible with one another. Postgame, Giannis attributed it to just time and growing with one another. It’s beyond evident that the comfort is improving and with it, their stats are blossoming. It’s been really fun to see them play at such an incredibly high level together.

AJax made a world of difference in this one.

Sure, he may not have scored a single point, but that didn’t really matter. In everybody’s postgame availabilities, they discussed what Andre Jackson Jr. brought to the table with his defensive efforts. Tyrese Haliburton didn’t finish his night with an ugly stat line, but through several quarters, he was clearly struggling to get things going. The biggest reason why? The intensity of AJax. All night long, he was right up on him like a fly, causing immediate frustration. That type of defense is immediately noticed by other Bucks players and is clearly contagious. Dre did an impeccable job setting the tone in this one.

Gary Trent Jr. continues to shine.

Despite continuing to come off the bench, Gary Trent keeps contributing in big ways. He connected on six threes on the night, resulting in a game total of 18 points. It’s taken him a little bit to find a groove, but the confidence was always there, along with the encouragement from his teammates. Everybody always discusses how they know the skillset he boasts from the perimeter and how they all knew it was a matter of time. Over this last handful of games, that skillset has been massive. Oh yeah, and he also helped produce this iconic highlight:

Bonus Bucks Bits

• The Bucks absolutely had this one circled on their calendar. Here’s what Doc Rivers mentioned in his pregame availability when asked if there was some extra motivation ahead of this one:

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sure there is. I mean, just being honest. Not only that, we played them in the playoffs and they beat us. We’re still looking for that basketball, from what I understand. Yeah, I’m sure there is. Whenever you play a team in the playoffs, it just creates action and it’s good for the league.”

For what it’s worth, Doc did mention the line about the basketball in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

• The Bucks scored a season-high 129 points in the win for their sixth 120-point game of the season, posting a 5-1 record in those games. Milwaukee also dished out a season-best 33 assists tonight, marking the third time in the last four games that the team has reached 30+ assists.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied his second triple-double of the season tonight with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It’s the 20th 30-point triple-double of his career, and he joins Nikola Jokić (2) and LeBron James (2) as the only players to notch 30-point triple-doubles this season. Antetokounmpo has now scored 30+ points in nine games this season, which is tied for the most in the league.
• Damian Lillard scored 24 points and dished out a season-high 13 assists for his third consecutive double-double. It’s just the sixth time in his career, and first with the Bucks, that he’s recorded 3+ double-doubles in a row, and his current run ties the second-longest such streak of his career. Lillard’s current double-double streak is his longest since November 2022 (3, Nov. 12-17), and it’s one shy of his career-long four-game streak (Twice; Feb. 14-20, 2021, Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2020).
• Last, a throwback to this unforgettable moment:

Up Next

Milwaukee is back at it tonight at Fiserv Forum as they battle against the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT and can be seen on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

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