By Jeff Tzucker
The Bucks may have the worst record in the league, but the energy and effort they gave should serve as a reminder to the Pacers that every team is gunning for them. Every team wants to measure itself against the Pacers. And for some teams like the Bucks, getting a win against the Pacers might be the highlight of the season.
So, while the Pacers never trailed in this game–leading by as many as 22 at one point–the game was much closer than that stat indicates.
After the Pacers dominated early, taking a 44-22 lead midway through the second quarter, the Bucks went on a 9-0 run and outscored the Pacers by 20 points over the next 12 minutes of play to cut the Pacers lead to 60-58 halfway through the third quarter. The Pacers would bounce back and push the lead back to seven, 75-68, heading to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Pacers quickly extended the lead to 82-68 on seven straight points by Lance Stephenson, but the Bucks wouldn’t go away. They kept it close, cutting the lead to as close as seven with one minute remaining. David West then came through once again with a big 18-footer with a minute remaining to effectively seal the game.
“We attacked the basket, we attacked the paint, and we knocked down our free throws. That’s very important for a veteran team like us. We’ve been there before. We’ve gotten up big, we’ve gotten down big. We always keep playing.” – Roy Hibbert on the team’s offensive game.
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