Bucks build big lead, then hang on to top Pacers

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 23 points and dished eight assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-99 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

Milwaukee has won three games in a row for the first time all season. Ryan Rollins added 22 points while Bobby Portis scored 21 and Jericho Sims grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.

Indiana fell for the third game in a row and fourth time in its last six games. Andrew Nembhard led the way with 22 with all but four coming in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam added 19.

Milwaukee got off to a slow start, turning it over five times in the first quarter and shooting just 9-of-22. Relief would come from beyond the arc.

Milwaukee shot 6-for-10 from deep in the second quarter alone and 50% from the floor in the first half. Those numbers helped them take a 54-47 lead into halftime.

The shooting momentum did not carry over into the second half for Milwaukee. AJ Green knocked down two 3-pointers to start the quarter and the team went 0-for-13 after. Despite that, the Bucks still outscored Indiana 29-18 in the frame and took a commanding 83-65 edge going into the fourth.

Things got interesting late in the fourth. As Milwaukee continued to struggle from the floor, Indiana rattled off a 15-0 run, capped by seven straight points from Nembhard.

Milwaukee went four and a half minutes without any points and Indiana got the deficit down to just 91-87 with four to play.

Despite Nembhard's heroics, the Bucks bounced back for the victory, with Porter and Portis combining for 11 points in the final four minutes.

This was Milwaukee's fourth consecutive regular-season victory over Indiana, including three this season. The Bucks had not won four in a row over their division rival since they won 10 in a row from 2020-23.