In their first matchup since last year’s playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to defeat the Indiana Pacers behind the strong play of Giannis Antetokounmpo, 129-119.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple-double in his last four games, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 129-117 on Friday night..

Damian Lillard had 24 points and 12 assists for the Bucks. Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 18 points and Bobby Portis added 17.

The Bucks started this one on the right foot, fueling themselves to an 8-0 run to begin things. Bobby Portis got into the scoring with a pair of triples midway through the quarter to rev up the crowd.

He then buried a nifty floating 3-pointer buzzer beater to close things out. Mix that in with 13 points from Giannis and seven from Dame and you get a 34-22 Bucks lead heading into the second quarter.

As the Pacers typically do, they scratched and clawed their way back to make this one close again. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner stepped into double-digit category with 12 and 11 points in the first half respectively. However, Milwaukee was able to regain some separation heading into the break, sitting with a 58-44 lead after a Gary Trent Jr. buzzer-beater three. They closed out the quarter on a 14-2 run from the 3:25 mark.

The fast break points continued for Milwaukee in the third quarter, allowing them to maintain separation from the Pacers. Through three quarters, Antetokounmpo had secured 28 points, paving the way for a 92-79 Bucks lead.

Indiana stuck their foot in the door about midway through the third, which was when a Tyrese Haliburton three cut things to single-digits. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo decided to flip the switch into closer mode. The nail in the Pacers’ coffin ended up being a Gary Trent Jr. alley-oop off the glass to Antetokounmpo. From that point, Milwaukee coasted to a 129-119 victory.

I could easily go with Giannis’ triple-double, but I’m not taking the easy way out. Milwaukee’s bench provided a big boost in this one — particularly the duo of Bobby Portis and Gary Trent. In the first half, it was Portis’ energy and effort that propelled Milwaukee onward.

His several threes in the first-half generated a major momentum swing, especially that wild buzzer beater. Then, Gary Trent Jr. continues his hot shooting, burying six threes on the evening. They were the main contributors from the bench, but that was all the Bucks needed. Just a marvelous effort from those two.