In Indianapolis, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a 126-124 win against the Milwaukee Pacers with an NBA season-high score of 54 points, but turnovers in the final minutes cost them the game on Thursday. Despite Antetokounmpo’s incredible effort, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton played a crucial role in securing the win for his team by scoring 29 points and 10 assists. His teammate, Bennedict Mathurin, also contributed 26 points and 11 rebounds to help the Pacers come back from an 18-point deficit and take the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Indiana’s coach, Rick Carlisle, acknowledged Antetokounmpo’s remarkable performance, commenting that the team executed well defensively and created chaos to contain him. Antetokounmpo’s turnovers in the crucial minutes proved costly for the Bucks, despite his 54-point effort in the game.

Milwaukee, missing All-Star Damian Lillard due to calf soreness, relied on Antetokounmpo’s exceptional performance but fell short of securing a win against the Pacers. Khris Middleton’s late 3-pointer attempt missed, allowing the Pacers to hold on to the narrow lead they secured in the final minutes.

The game saw an 18-point lead by the Pacers in the first quarter, followed by a Bucks comeback to tie the score in the third. Antetokounmpo’s outstanding performance throughout the game was unfortunately not enough for the Bucks to come away with a win. The Pacers will now move on to face the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Bucks will play the Orlando Magic in their next games.