INDIANAPOLIS — Kevin Porter Jr. scored 24 points and Ryan Rollins scored 23 to lead the Bucks to a 111-94 win over the Pacers on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers suffered six consecutive losses and their record fell to 6 wins and 24 losses, making them the team with the most losses in the NBA. The Bucks improved to 12-18 after losing their first three games.
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Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma contributed 15 points. Forward Bobby Portis Jr. scored 14 points and former Pacers center Myles Turner scored 10 points. Point guard TJ McConnell scored a Pacers-high 16 points. Forward Pascal Siakam scored 15 points, Andrew Nembhard scored 14 points and Benedict Maturin scored 13 points.
Here are three observations.
Pacers’ offensive woes continue
Against the Celtics, the Pacers had one of their best offensive first halves of the season, but followed up with their worst first half. Against Boston, the Pacers only scored 34 points in the second half and lost a 20-point lead 103-95. They made only 12 of 44 shots in the second half, including 1 of 20 three-pointers. When they got home on Tuesday, they weren’t shaken off the funk at all.
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On Tuesday, the Pacers scored just 20 points on 7-for-20 shooting in the first quarter, including 1-for-8 from 3-point range. The second quarter was slightly better, but at halftime they were 16-for-40 from the field, including 4-for-16 from 3-point range, for 44 points. Therefore, from halftime on Monday to halftime on Tuesday, their output for the entire four quarters was 28-for-84 (33.3%) from the field and 5-for-36 (13.9%) from three-point range, resulting in 78 points.
The situation in the third quarter was not much better. The Pacers made 8 of 21 shots, including 1 of 6 three-pointers, and scored 24 points. They showed life in the fourth quarter, cutting the Bucks’ 20-point lead to nine points, but they still only scored 26 points in the quarter and 94 points for the game. They shot 33-for-81 from the field (40.7%), 8-for-31 from 3-point range, and 9-for-51 through six quarters. They scored 0.94 points per possession.
Myles Turner gets booed again but scores 10 points
At least this time, Myles Turner had to see it coming. The former Pacers center, who spent 10 years with the team, was mercilessly booed when he returned to Gambridge Arena in early November after signing with Milwaukee as a free agent in the offseason. During that game, the Pacers greeted Turner with a welcome video detailing his decade with the team, including his role in the Eastern Conference championship, but fans still let him have it. When this happened, Turner made a point of closing a book and noted his displeasure afterwards.
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By Tuesday’s game, Turner seemed willing to fight back and accept some of the boos. His offense isn’t particularly impressive, but his defense is solid. He scored 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-8 from three-point range, but it was a useful contribution in a game where neither team was efficient offensively. More importantly, he blocked 3 shots and grabbed 6 rebounds.
TJ McConnell’s closest thing to a highlight for the Pacers
After a terrible offensive season for the Pacers, T.J. McConnell is still maintaining impressive efficiency levels.
After missing Monday’s game with left knee soreness, he scored 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and dished out six assists on two turnovers.
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Dustin Dopilak has played all season for the Pacers. Get more coverage with IndyStarTV and the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Bucks: Indiana offense still terrible, loses to Myles Turner
